One Stroke: Part II
by xLadyxLibertyx
Summary: This is a continuation of Bjanik's One Stroke. Hojo's still dead, and Sephiroth and crew lived happily ever after, or did they?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, xXxValentinexXx, for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Yes, I'm her mother. Our dear friend, Bjanik, began this happy journey. When she refused to write a sequel to **_**One Stroke**_**, I was as unhappy as many of you. I wanted to know what happened next to Sephiroth and crew, especially Tessa. Bjanik claimed that the baby was a plot device. Bjanik, never having had children, could believe that, but I'm a mother and I can imagine many possibilities, especially for the next nine months of the story. When I suggested to Bjanik that I might take up the story, if she didn't mind, she said, "Go for it!" So, we begin with a "Prologue" which overlaps Bjanik's "Epilogue." If you recall from **_**One Stroke**_**, Sephiroth, Tseng and Vincent were in Tseng's office. Tseng had just returned Masamune to Sephiroth, and the elder Shinra had made Sephiroth an outrageous offer. Going for it!**

**Prologue**

Sephiroth was suddenly reminded of why he had come to see Tseng in the first place. He couldn't speak freely; even the Turk commander's office had listening devices tied to the company's mainframe. Everything was recorded. Not much of it was reviewed, but you couldn't be sure. Sephiroth cast his mind back to the day when he had asked Tseng how he would know when the moment had come for them to act.

"I have… been asked to do something which I cannot."

Tseng smiled, actually smiled. "It's time," he said.

"Are you free for lunch? You pick the restaurant."

"Meet me out front in, oh say, an hour?" Tseng suggested with a glance at the clock on his computer. "I've a few things to 'tidy up' around here."

"Done. I'll be waiting for you. I'm going to whack some stuff with Masamune." Sephiroth put a hand to the door handle, then gave his father a last glance.

Amusement sounded in Vincent's mental voice, _According to plan, Tseng is inviting a few associates. You'll need to invite Zack as I recall._

_Yes. Are you staying with Tseng? I really do want to test Masamune before I might have to use it this afternoon._

_I'll stay with Tseng, but I have preparations to make also. I feel the need for additional small arms for the festivities._

_Excellent. _A slight smile tweaked a corner of Sephiroth's mouth_. See you shortly._

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Sephiroth held Masamune in a two-handed grip testing the balance of his old friend reconnecting with the consciousness he always felt there. He had removed his battle coat and placed his hands in fingerless gloves in preparation for the exercise. Sephiroth stood in the middle of the large oval training room with its four story walls, surrounded by straw "men" targets, and gathered his concentration. Something about the sword felt lighter to Sephiroth's touch, as if the sword were about to fly away and only he were holding it to the planet. Well maybe that was a bit exaggerated, but it did feel lighter.

Zack stood to the side watching with narrowed eyes as Sephiroth was about to begin his version of one of the Wutainese sword forms. The form's set fight pattern normally was performed with a regular four-foot long blade; however, Sephiroth's Masamune was half again as long, and the form therefore required a few "modifications." Basically these entailed angling strokes that normally would have been performed straight up or down. Catching your sword on the ground was typically considered to be bad form. Zack, being more of a brute-force type of swordsman, always appreciated the sheer artistry that Sephiroth was about to display. Seph had run through the form twice as a warm-up and now had moved into the center of the strawmen for the "real thing."

Inhaling deeply Sephiroth stepped back with his left foot holding the sword point angled backward over his left shoulder in his left hand, the right hand held palm out in front of him in an "alive" position, and then stepped forward with his left foot, proceeded to his first cut, a downward slice to the right cutting at an angle through the "right collar bone" of the strawman. Pull back. Next, a clockwise rotation of his hand turning the sword's sharp edge to cut up and to Sephiroth's left through the strawman's right knee.

A slide to the left to his second straw man and a counterclockwise lift of his hand and pull back of his elbow positioned Masamune above the "left collar bone" for a left downward angled cut. Next a counterclockwise rotation and he sliced upward through the strawman's left knee.

Now a left slide to his third target with a downward cut through the top of the strawman's head, a repositioning with his elbow straight back then a stab into the strawman's abdomen. Pull back with the elbow, push kick the body off the sword.

Half done—very clean cuts—so far so good. Slide left to the fourth target and now the reverse "Z" move performed going down to one knee on the last cut: a cut from right to left through the strawman's neck, a slice down and right diagonally across the body, a second cut right to left through the strawman's knees. Stand up with a counterclockwise twist of the wrist to begin the next stroke.

Slide left to the fifth target. Continue slice diagonally right upward across strawman's body, pulling the blade back through, and then rotating back over his own left shoulder.

Slide left to final target. A quick rotation of the wrist forward ("watik" as Zack recalled) then cut diagonally down through the body. Finally pull the sword back and body stab to the abdomen. Pull back on the sword, raise a knee, and push kick the strawman off the end.

Zack smiled. It had been a beautiful performance, so blindingly fast few people could have seen it, much less appreciated it, but now there was straw everywhere. He raised his PHS to summon some cadets who needed some minor disciplining to clean up the mess, then approached his commander.

"So… How did it feel?" Zack said, "after all, testing the feel of the blade _was_ the point of this exercise."

"I know it sounds a bit strange, but Masamune feels a bit lighter. It actually slid more easily through the targets."

"Well, that's good. No embrittlement?" He bent to look at the edges of one of the partially standing strawmen. Extending a finger he felt the points on some of the straw edges. "Ouch." Zack pulled his now bleeding finger back and stuck it in his mouth.

"None that I could detect. Completely solid. Smooth through the straw."

"Good. Then how about that lunch you mentioned?"

"Fine. Let's get cleaned up, then we're meeting some people outside."

"We are? Who? You didn't mention anyone else." Zack was a bit surprised as they turned to leave the training floor in the direction of the changing rooms and showers. Typically if anyone joined them, it was Tessa. Although lately with her protesting stomach, it had been just Zack and Seph for lunch. Tessa couldn't even stand to smell food before mid-afternoon.

"Tseng and my father."

Zack stopped short and felt his mouth fall open. "What?!" He'd never been invited to one of the Sephiroth/Tseng lunches before.

Sephiroth smiled slightly, "You'll see."

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Upon Sephiroth's and Vincent's departures, Tseng had summoned Reno and Rude into his office. He knew he was playing with fire here, and he wanted his most trustworthy Turks to back him up in addition to the father and son.

"Yo, bossman, you called?" Reno raised his eyebrows entering the office. Tseng thought, "Why did it have to be Reno who was most trustworthy? Trustworthy to get the job done, I suppose."

"I want you to go up to the waiting room outside the president's office and invite Rufus Shinra to go to lunch. Then escort him outside the building."

"Hunh?" Reno's mouth was on the verge of a dozen questions, when Rude stepped on his foot.

"Yes, sir." Rude said, pinching the fabric of Reno's jacket arm with his right forefinger and thumb (the new left appendage was still a bit unreliable for such maneuvers, might rip the fabric) and backing them out of Tseng's office.

Outside Reno gave his partner a hard look, "Why'd you do that?"

Rude raised an eyebrow at him then turned his head to stare hard at Derek, Tseng's secretary. Derek returned Rude's stare with a slight nod. Reno caught the looks, "Oh ho… Well then, we'd better not keep the man waiting."

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Rufus Shinra sat at a table in a windowless back room of the Peanut Barrel, far across Midgar from Shinra, considering the men across the round table from him certainly not seeing the beer posters on the walls about him. Tseng and Sephiroth sat to Rufus' left and right, two Turks flanking Tseng, Zack Fair standing at Sephiroth's right, and a stranger clad in black leather he'd glimpsed recently around the office leaned against the wall near the door. "Has to be a Turk, even without the blue suit." Rufus thought.

Tseng had just laid out a plan that would effectively hand control of Shinra over to Rufus, but which would give the two commanders "input" into decision making. With the muscle behind them, Rufus knew Tseng and Sephiroth would have effective final say over any policy directions in the company. In return for his cooperation, Turk and Soldier would rid him of the current president, his father, Londo Shinra. Rufus didn't have to think twice about his acceptance, but he wanted clarification on a few important points first. He held his face blank. He knew they'd just made him an offer he couldn't refuse. If he said "no," he'd probably be thrown head first off the plate—or by some other disposal method, both quick and quiet.

"Gentlemen, if you please… As the new president of Shinra, I would, of course, add the two of you, and your departments, to the Executive level. Presumably, General, your wife would retain her Executive post as the head of the Scientific Department. What would you suggest for the other Executives, Reeve, Heidegger, Scarlet, and Palmer? Not that I really care, mind you, but all four, with the possible exception of Reeve, have dirt on Shinra. What do you suggest for them?"

Tseng smiled slightly. He knew which closets held skeletons probably better than Rufus did. "Suffice it to say, Heidegger, Scarlet, and Palmer should all be offered 'early retirement,' with full retirement compensation, of course. If they don't like their 'compensation packages,' they will be dealt with. Tuesti, however, has been a valuable asset to the corporation and should stay." Tseng raised his chin a bit. He decided to let out a skeleton, "With the death of your half-brother, Lazard, last year, and the potential demise of your father later today, there certainly is no reason to keep Lazard's half-sister, Scarlet, around, now is there?"

Rufus' mouth fell open. Tseng smiled slightly. He'd rather thought Rufus hadn't known of Lazard's and Scarlet's connections to the Shinra family. Now Rufus had another reason to get rid of Londo, as if he really needed one.

Rufus stared hard at the men across the room from him, judging them again. Most didn't react to the news at all, though that Turk, Reno, looked thoughtful—Rufus hadn't thought that Reno could look thoughtful.

"With the _exception_ of the Turks," Tseng continued, and Rufus nodded his head acknowledging the "exception," "Heiddeger's public security department has been largely ineffective for years. I will take control of all 'intelligence' functions. Palmer's space division has made no advances in its objectives, and its resources should be redirected to energy development under Tuesti." With a look at Sephiroth, Tseng said, "Weapons development will be transferred to the Scientific Department, so as to control both initial concept and ultimate deployment." Sephiroth nodded his acceptance. He hated to add more work to his wife's schedule, but it was a logical development. They would need to look for a loyal second to oversee certain parts of weapons development. He had already been considering Cho or Malik for the position.

Rufus leaned forward, placing his joined hands on the table, looking over all the men across from him and smiled. It could work. The fact that he really didn't have a choice in the matter didn't faze him. Strange bedfellows could be changed at future dates. Any of the others could have a falling out. Anything was possible… Time would tell. "And I would have daily control over operations, without interference from you?"

Tseng nodded. "We honestly don't want operational control. We just want to continue doing our jobs and for the company to develop additional, more sustainable, energy sources. We _liked_ where you were taking Shinra. The stockholders won't really mind. After all, Shinra _is_ the only game in town, so to speak."

"Well, gentlemen," Rufus Shinra said standing up. Tseng and Sephiroth glanced at each other and quickly moved to their feet. "Gentlemen." He repeated. "I agree to your terms…" Rufus smiled slightly. "Now shall we have lunch? My treat." Rufus watched closely judging his new allies. He rather liked what he saw. "By the way, how do you plan to do away with my father?"

Sephiroth's lips pulled back at the corners, and he spoke for the first time, "Leave that to me."

Rufus started. Sephiroth was newly married and about to become a father. Marriage certainly didn't seem to have softened the man. Perhaps Tessa Romera was a saint.

From a vent high in a wall above all their heads near the ceiling, a small gray cat with white gloves, red cape, and a crown watched from well back in the crawl space and listened intently to the conversation. Back at Shinra headquarters, Reeve Tuesti chuckled pulling an out an earpiece and rubbing his ear. It seemed he was going to like what was about to take place. There would have to be an executives meeting where the others learned of their "retirements." He'd better practice his "shocked" expression.

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Three groups converged separately on Londo Shinra's office. Not wanting to look like a small army, Tseng and his Turks, Sephiroth and Zack, and Rufus with Vincent close behind, had left the restaurant separately and had arrived that way at their destination. Vincent had trailed behind sniffing for evidence of opposition. He had detected none.

Rufus leaned over his former-secretary's desk. "Vera, is he alone?" he asked. She nodded her short, brown-haired head.

"Well! Why don't you let us in?" Rufus held her gaze, and Vera paused for a second, her glance flicking over the menacing group behind Rufus, then nodded again pushing a button under her desk that opened the door with a buzz.

"What's going on here? I didn't summon you! Any of you!" Londo Shinra stood up, a ceiling light glinting off his bald head, looking outraged at the entrance of his son into his office. He paled visibly as the crowd in his office grew larger—larger, and more weapon oriented. Rufus stood across the desk from him in front, flanked by Sephiroth with his huge sword on the right and Tseng on the left, Turks and a first-class Soldier behind them (all glowering and being menacing, he noted absently), and a black-leather-clad man with very long wavy black hair leaned against the door. He was holding a pistol in one hand tapping it against the palm of a metal glove on his other hand. Unsubtle.

"Dad," Rufus stated. Londo's eyebrows went down in anger. Rufus was never allowed to call him "Dad." "Father" was the only acceptable form of address he allowed his son.

"Da-ad," Rufus started again—this time with two syllables. "General Sephiroth would like a word with you, I believe. General?" Rufus stepped back. Sephiroth stepped around the side of the desk, Masamune held before him. Londo turned to face him. Sephiroth noted old Shinra's face was pink with rage and beady with sweat. He could almost feel sorry for the man. Almost.

"President Shinra, I believe I am going to refuse your offer of this morning. _No child_ _of mine_ will be raised in a tube, or given 'growth accelerant to get them online quicker,' and Tessa Romera will be the _only_ woman to bear my children. That's my final word on the subject," and with that Sephiroth swung Masamune upward in one stroke, cleaving Shinra in two. This time, Sephiroth noted, there were no white ceiling flecks to float downward. The ceiling was too high.

"So, that's what precipitated this." Tseng noted. He hadn't stopped to consider what Sephiroth had been asked to do that he couldn't. Tseng had simply accepted that something had happened to trigger his friend's desire for a regime change.

"Well, I guess that takes care of that." Rufus Shinra looked a bit shaken, and he started to laugh, a bit hysterically.

"Mr. President." Tseng turned to Rufus. "I suggest you take the rest of the afternoon off. Perhaps give some thought to funeral arrangements." Tseng turned to his Turks, "Reno, Rude, I'll leave it to you to clean up the mess. I'm sure you know where the morgue is." With that he exchanged a look with Sephiroth and turned to leave. Sephiroth moved away from the desk heading to the door.

"Zack, you're with me. I believe we have group drill in fifteen minutes…"

"Yes, sir." Zack, holding his face expressionless, fell in behind his commander and left.

_And what are _you_ going to do?_ Sephiroth sent to his father from outside the room. Sephiroth could sense that Vincent had barely budged from his post near the president's door.

_For the moment I plan to play bodyguard to Rufus. He looks like he could use some 'company.'_

_Good. See you for dinner?_

_Let's play it by ear._ Sephiroth felt his father's mental shrug. _I rather expect that Rufus is going to be roaring drunk soon. At some point I'll put him to bed._

_Done. I'm going down to the labs for a minute to tell Tessa in person before drill. I expect Tseng has already composed a message in Rufus' name announcing Londo's demise for broadcast over the Shinra networks and internet. Possibly 'heart failure.'_

_Yes, I suppose so… So how do you feel now?_

_Hm… After I ridded my life of Hojo, I felt like a child let out of school. Now I just feel satisfied. Tessa is safe, and she didn't even know she was in danger._

_Yes. Protect with her with _everything_ you have, my son. Don't repeat my mistakes. _You're_ a lucky man. _Vincent felt a mental smile and fierce determination from his son—and his agreement.

_Yes. I know. As I said before, my childhood was god-awful, but I wouldn't trade it for what I have now for anything. Much less for any _offer_ from Londo Shinra! Later..._

_Indeed. Later._

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"Great. Just great. Here we are again. Left with the stiff," Reno glared at the door leading out of the Shinra presidential office.

"At least we don't have to hose down the place this time. They'll probably have to rip out the carpet though," Rude responded. He pulled out his PHS and asked for a body bag to be brought up from the morgue. Tessa's lab had turned all Hojo's old body bags over to that department. The two passed the time waiting for the bag by doing what Turks were supposed to do, investigate the stuff lying in, around, and on Shinra's desk.

"Hm… Turks are just too damn nosy. Yes, and I am happy to be a nosy Turk." Reno thought as he looked at the papers on the presidential desk while keeping his shiny shoes out of the bloody mess on the floor. Seemed Rufus Shinra wasn't the only one planning on reorganizing the company. Londo Shinra had been hand-drawing an org chart with only three departments: Heiddeger (security), Scarlet (research and development), and Palmer (earth and space). It looked like Tessa's department had just avoided being merged with Scarlet's department and Tuesti's with Palmer's. Better let Tseng know what old Londo had been planning. Scarlet might have been behind it—might even be trouble in the future. Palmer just didn't seem the type. The door buzzed, and two white-coated morgue attendants with a body bag lying atop a stretcher appeared outside.

Rude took hold of the bag then closed the door in the attendants' faces. Reno turned around to take a last look at Londo Shinra, once the most powerful man on Gaia, lying on the floor behind him then pushed the executive armchair out of the way to make room. Unfurling the bag like a sheet, the Turks laid the bag alongside the pieces of Shinra and widened their feet to keep their dress shoes out of the blood.

"Careful there," Reno said, "don't stick your fingers in the brains."

Rude glared at the red-head. Together they lifted the left half of the body and set it in the bag. Leaning over again they lifted the right half when something fell out of the back of Shinra's coat and hung dangling in mid-air.

"Hello, what have we here?" Reno reached out and delicately pulled what looked like a button attached to a white wire from the fabric. Reno looked at his partner with a half smirk. "What'd ya think?"

Rude, seeing what Reno was holding, raised an eyebrow at his partner. He flipped open his PHS and pushed Tseng's speed dial code.

"Tseng here."

"Code 7. POS."

Slight pause, "acknowledged. Peanut Barrel. One hour."

At that minute Tseng was locking down the "presidential office suite" with Turks at every entrance to the place, stopping and searching everyone in and out of the complex, and bringing in more Turks to turn the suite upside down looking for anything and everything. Shortly the door to the suite buzzed and two more Turks appeared outside.

"Stay here. No one gets near the body. Understood?" Rude gave their replacements his best intimidating dagger glare.

"Yes, Sir!" both snapped their heels and nodded their heads.

"Nothing like peanuts for a late afternoon snack!" Reno and Rude half ran to the elevator and their appointment.

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"All right. Let's have it. What's going on that I had to lock down Shinra?"

Back in the private back room of the restaurant they'd left less than two hours before, Reno opened his palm under Tseng's nose.

Eyebrows arching upward, Tseng paused, "My, my. Would you look at that! And you found this where?"

"It fell off Londo Shinra's body when we lifted him off the floor."

"Well, well. Shinra was wearing a wire. Now who do you think was spying on whom here? Londo Shinra was spying on his own company?!... Please tell me you left two Turks in charge of the body."

"Rude locked the place down as soon as he saw this. Landers and Gonzales arrived, and we ran the morgue guys off. I doubt they knew what they were seeing, though they might get suspicious with the appearance of so many Turks."

"Good move. All right. First, I'll meet our people to continue the examination of the body. Second, have two of our people keep an eye on the attendants. Third, this clearly isn't a standard, Shinra-produced listening device. Someone, outside of Shinra, has gotten to the old man. I'll go over the surveillance records on him since he's been gone, especially the last three months. He's been down at some commune near Mideel, as I recall. We looked at the place when he first went down there, but Reno, you make arrangements for you and Rude to head down there and get me an update. Rude, for now, you go over his apartment. Fourth, I'll have to talk to Sephiroth and let him know why there's a lock down… Someone's watching us… I knew Rufus couldn't just give the order, and I'd have control of all of Shinra's security apparatus. But I didn't expect interference from inside…"

"Yo, boss man. There was one more thing. On old Shinra's desk. He was revising the corporate org chart just before… the coup. His re-org had only three departments: Heiddeger (security), Scarlet (research and development), and Palmer (earth and space). Looks like you interrupted his plans… and maybe someone else's as well?"

"You're implying Londo Shinra may have been spying on Shinra for someone else… maybe even running it for someone else… and it makes sense. Now I have an even bigger reason to talk to Soldier."

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Across Midgar in an old warehouse on the lower plate a young man with chin-length brown hair and mako-bright eyes lowered his PHS from his ear, flipping it closed with an irritated snap. He flipped the hair back from his face with a graceful gesture.

"Yes. You _had_ better be careful, _Sephiroth_… Apparently not even Londo Shinra could order you to part with Jenova cells… Well then, I'll just have to _acquire_ this new source." The man looked at a second man in a white lab coat possessively. "For now, however, we'll have to get out of Midgar, before Shinra locks the city down completely. My friend, we're due in Wutai. After that, Plan B can be put into operation."


	2. A Trip to the Doctor

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, xXxValentinexXx, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—For xXxValentinexXx (who didn't know what I was talking about): an ****obstetrician/gynecologist** **(or OB/GYN) is a physician specialist who provides medical and surgical care to women and has particular expertise in pregnancy, childbirth, and disorders of the reproductive system.**

As it turned out, Tseng didn't get an opportunity to talk to Sephiroth that afternoon. The new head of the elevated Soldier executive department was keeping an appointment he had scheduled with the head of the executive-level research and development department. Sephiroth was taking his wife to her monthly prenatal exam, and the couple had turned off their PHSs for the afternoon in order to have some privacy.

Tessa winced as she squirmed to get out of the passenger seat of Sephiroth's small black sports car. Sephiroth had been unable to find a parking place and had instead driven back to the area in front of the doctor's office building to let her out before venturing again in search of a space. Sephiroth had opened Tessa's door then leaned in to grasp her hands to help her stand.

"You wouldn't have thought I'd need help at only five months, would you?" her play for sympathy seemed to fall on deaf ears, however. Sephiroth merely nodded, made sure Tessa was standing securely on the curb, and reached in to retrieve her bag. "Oh well." She walked toward the building's door when she suddenly felt her husband's warm hand against the small of her back.

"How's your back?"

"Better now." Tessa smiled and turned her head to look up at his profile as he helped her cross the sidewalk. Tessa loved everything about that face from the lofting bangs to the long nose and narrow mouth down to the pointed chin. Hopefully the baby would have that same look of strength about its eyes too.

Sephiroth caught the smile from the corner of his eye, and his eyes smiled back. He knew this pregnancy had not been easy for Tessa so far, and he was trying to help her through it. He had opened the office door for her and was just following her inside when a car horn blared.

"Come on, buddy! Move your car!" A man's voice came from a second vehicle standing behind his own "illegally parked" car.

"Yeah." Sephiroth's cats-eyes narrowed at the car's driver, but he left Tessa to complete her journey inside on her own, and he walked back to his car pulling his keys out from his pocket. Hm. What he wouldn't like to do to the irritating driver…

The man's eyes widened as he realized who his target had been. He'd been in Wutai and seen that silver hair before. He slammed his car into reverse and found himself hurtling across the parking lot away from the doctor's building. "May I never see that man again, please Gaia!"

Sephiroth smirked and shook his head. He hadn't done a thing, and the irritating driver was gone.

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"Good afternoon, Dr. Romera. How do you feel today?" Sarah Shields, Dr. Caperton's nurse, wound her blood pressure cuff around Tessa's upper arm. Tessa had already changed into her gown, provided her monthly urine sample, been weighed, and spread the thin exam sheet over her legs as she lay back on the doctor's table. She was beginning to be just a bit concerned—her husband had still not arrived. Where had he had to park anyway?

"About like usual. The nausea seems to be getting a bit worse every day. At least we've been having staff meetings after 2:30 in the afternoons, so I don't have to run for the bathroom any longer." She laughed softly at the memory of Rufus' face the first time she'd had to "run for it." "It's getting a bit later every day before I can stand the smell of food. At this rate I won't be eating at all by the time the baby's ready to come."

"Now, now. You know that's not a good idea. Hopefully the nausea will improve soon."

"Yes, I know. I'm just not sure I can keep going much longer." Both women laughed. They both knew that Tessa was joking. She'd do whatever she had to do to ensure the baby's health.

They looked up at a soft knock on the door, and Sephiroth entered the room.

"Hi there. Where did you have to go to get a parking place?"

"Quite a ways."

Sarah smiled. Despite the terse answer, she saw the smiles in the couples' eyes. She always liked that when she saw it. Usually smiling people made for good parents. You could see it in their faces and especially in their eyes.

"All right. I've got your vitals. Here are the forms you'll need to sign for the birthing class, so be sure to fill them out and leave them here. Dr. Caperton will be here in just a minute," and she left the room.

At her exit, Sephiroth moved across the room to snatch up the clipboard Sarah had left behind. They had been discussing whether to have the baby at home or to simply plan on heading immediately to the hospital at the first sign of labor.

"You know, there are no doctors or hospitals in Dajou, so every child is born at home. I expect my mothers will even show up a couple of weeks before I'm due. They've both helped deliver a number of babies over the years."

"I am not about to take a chance with your health. As soon as you have any sign of labor, I will be driving you to the hospital. Nor am I about to take a chance that you might give birth at the Shinra clinic either. We'll keep track of Dr. Caperton's schedule as you get closer. If you can manage it, you'll have the baby while _he's_ on call rather than his partners."

Tessa sighed, "I have no idea how I'm going to manage that one, you know. _Babies_ make the decisions as to when to be born, not their mothers."

"You've said it yourself, Dr. Caperton is the best obstetrician in Midgar. We may well need his expertise when the time comes."

As if on cue, a soft knock sounded at the door, and Dr. Leonard Caperton appeared. "Hello there. Did I hear my name mentioned?"

"Hello, Dr. Caperton," Tessa smiled gently. She'd chosen Dr. Caperton after a careful search of all the OB/GYNs in the city. Well known as an expert in reproductive medicine, he was also known to be highly successful in handling high risk pregnancies. She rather thought her decision had finally been made when she'd learned he was also the father of four young children himself. Dr. Caperton was a small energetic man with blond hair in his early thirties. Rather young to have such a strong reputation, but Tessa was not one to hold youth against anyone, being only twenty-five herself.

The doctor held out his hand to Sephiroth who took it and shook it firmly. Rarely did anyone offer to shake her husband's hand, and Tessa added this to the list of Dr. Caperton's good qualities.

"Doctor."

"May I?" Dr. Caperton reached for the clipboard Sephiroth still held. "Well, your blood pressure's up a bit. How do you feel?"

"I _am_ a little tired. I had my assistant, Glenn, run my mako levels yesterday, and they're running about 190 rather than my normal 210."

"And is she eating well, General?"

Ever since she'd become pregnant, Sephiroth and Zack had turned the microscope on Tessa as to what she was eating rather than the other way round. Tessa had found the constant dietary scrutiny a bit irritating and wondered if Sephiroth had been bothered by her constant monitoring.

"She's eating the right foods, but in not nearly sufficient quantities."

"Exercise?"

"I've had to give up most of my 'Soldier' style training – I'm just becoming too unwieldy. Although, I have been considering taking up… yoga…" She glanced at her husband for his reaction to this suggestion. Zack had actually given her the idea when she'd canceled two of their training sessions in a row.

"Good idea." Dr. Caperton nodded his approval. "Stretching in general is good during pregnancy and can help speed delivery. Is there a pool at Shinra? Water exercise can help ease the discomfort and help you stay fit. No hot tubs or saunas though."

"Yes… How about 'sweaty yoga'? You know the kind where the room's temperature is 105?"

"See if they'll lower the temperature for you to around 90 while you're pregnant." He paused then looked directly at Tessa. "I know that the Shinra techs have finished putting together Dr. Crescent's electronic diary entries. Was there anything in her notes beyond what you've already told me that might be relevant to your pregnancy?"

"Correlating Dr. Crescent's diary entries and Hojo's notes on his treatment of my husband has not only been difficult to do, but also difficult emotionally both for me and my husband." Tessa paused. Dr. Caperton needed the information, but it tended to scare her. Sephiroth, seeing Tessa's distress, took her hand in his own.

"Doctor, you must realize how difficult this is for us. Knowing that Hojo treated Lucrecia Crescent and my father as if they were lab specimens to do with as he wished, that he treated me the same way for the first fourteen years of my life... Even while we're trying to have a 'normal' family, in some sense we're doing the same thing to this child that was done to me. Make no mistake, we both want this baby badly. Looking at my mother's entries, talking with my father, who can barely talk about it…" he paused to shake his head. "It all tends to bring their pain to life." Tessa shook her head at Sephiroth. She _would_ give them that one thing Sephiroth wanted so—a life as normal as possible.

Tessa tried again. "In answer to your question, I've basically come to two conclusions. The first, that Hojo kept Dr. Crescent drugged almost continually during the pregnancy so that she really wasn't aware of what was happening to her most of the time. Second, that she was suffering from mako poisoning as the fetus uptook mako from the environment, right through her body. This was only made worse by Hojo injecting her with mako as well. Officially she suicided by jumping into the Lifestream. Quite probably she was lucky to bring the child to term. She wouldn't have survived another month with that much mako in her body. Hojo did nothing to treat the mako poisoning."

"I see. Then I should be alarmed about your falling mako levels as your mako barrier is helping keep you alive… Do you still want to publish an article with me about your pregnancy given the background information you now have?"

"Yes. I have always had difficulty believing that in the entire history of the planet, I'm the only woman who's been mako-enhanced. Probably in the future there will be one or more such women, and the odds are high that they'll also become pregnant. How to treat mako-enhanced mothers and fetuses needs to be documented and made available to the public."

Dr. Caperton smiled gently, "So you haven't changed your mind at all. Good. Now shall we see how you're doing?" and with that Dr. Caperton gestured for Tessa to place her heels in the stirrups, and he proceeded with the physical examination.

_This part always makes me wince_, Sephiroth thought. _Allowing a near stranger to examine my wife in such an intimate fashion is almost more than I can take._

A mental chuckle came through from Vincent. _It will be over soon enough… Everything going well?_

_I'll let you know in a few minutes. _Once again in a moment of stress Sephiroth had reached out to Vincent without realizing he was doing so. _Someday I'll get this communication under control._

_I rather hope not… By the way, Tseng wants to talk to you. Something's come up…_

_What? _But the only reply from Vincent was silence.

The rest of the examination proceeded normally though. Dr. Caperton advised Tessa to eat better, extracted a promise from Sephiroth to be sure she did so, and had the couple complete the birthing class forms.

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"What about your mako level? Dr. Caperton did seem concerned about it." Sephiroth had packed Tessa into his car at the front curb and had just merged into freeway traffic.

"Yes, but he's letting me handle mako-related issues. I only need to come up about twenty points, so I'll arrange for an injection for myself tomorrow morning and have Glenn check my levels every few days."

"All right…" Sephiroth gritted his teeth. Not so long ago, receiving mako injections had been times of near-terror for his Soldiers. Tessa had improved that situation, but he still didn't like the idea of his wife undergoing mako treatments.

"And were you serious about that yoga class? Isn't that the one that Reno convinced Zack to take?" Tessa was a bit surprised it had taken Sephiroth this long to ask the question. Any activity involving Zack and Reno in the same sentence usually resulted in a negative reaction from her husband.

"Yes. The classes are held over the lunch hour, but lunch has not been something I've been able to tolerate for some time now. Why do you ask?"

"Well…" he paused, and she waited. Maybe it was just that large truck trying to pass their car that was distracting her husband.

"Yes?"

"I was thinking that perhaps I'd… join you… for yoga."

"Really?! That would be wonderful! Thank you!"

Sephiroth was suddenly a bit chagrined at Tessa's response. Zack had been pestering him about his level of flexibility suggesting that it could be improved ("as if"). Now Tessa seemed excited by the idea. A sheepish smile lit his mouth. "Okay… Yoga… Great…"

**A/N—If you haven't read Bjanik's **_**Sweaty Yoga**_**, you should. She's not yet convinced me to try her yoga class, but, like Seph, I feel that I should… someday… maybe…**

**FYI—I plan on posting on a weekly basis (probably on weekends), but I make no promises as to the schedule. I just hope you enjoy the story.**


	3. Proclamation in Wutai

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, xXxValentinexXx, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

The man looked down at his sleeping daughter. Sorrow nearly overwhelmed him—sorrow for his fate, for Wutai's, a subject kingdom under Shinra, but most especially sorrow for her. With what he was about to do, he hoped to give her back the future he had always planned for himself… for Wutai… and for her.

"Yuffie… My dear, come with me please." Emperor Godo gently shook her shoulder. "Come on, sweetheart. There's something you have to do tonight."

Yuffie cracked an eyelid at her father, "what is it, Father?" Yuffie rolled onto her back looking up at her father. Alarm suddenly hit her at the worry on his face. "What's going on? Is it Shinra? Have Soldiers come? Are we under attack?!" Yuffie was now scrambling, flinging blankets off the bed, and reaching for the knife under her pillow.

"No… No fighting just yet… though there almost certainly will be soon enough… No, there's something you have to do, and it must be done now. Here, put this on and meet me in the hall as soon as you're dressed," he handed her a dark blue silk gown, elegantly cut, on a hanger.

Yuffie frowned, holding the hanger in one hand, and watched her father leave her room. _What_ was going on?

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Joining her father in the hallway, Godo took his daughter's hands and kissed her on both cheeks.

"You look so much like your mother, it makes my heart turn over." The corners of Godo's eyes tightened as if in pain. "Yuffie, I'm sorry to get you out of bed like this, but you're coming with me now to the High Shrine."

"High Shrine? Why? Father, what is going on?" Yuffie raised an eyebrow at the man in front of her. "The High Shrine is for state occasions, and me in a dress… Wait a minute. You've made a decision, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have." Godo paused to take a deep breath. His plans were suddenly becoming very real. "I've decided to declare you the legal heir of Wutai—_without that fashion-plate Rufus Shinra's approval_." This last was said with a snarl. "Come along." Yuffie could feel the blood rush from her face as her father took her hand and lead her down the hall to a side exit from the palace. They crossed the courtyard sticking to the shadows. No one would be around to see them. No security camera pointed this way. That traitor ingrate, General Tseng, didn't know every corner in the palace. Godo had plans for Tseng, too.

Yuffie's mind was in a whirl. If Father were sending her through the heirship rite tonight, then the Wutai forces would be moving into position shortly (possibly even now), and the rebellion, for which she and every other young Wutainese had trained secretly, would be starting soon. A smirk planted itself on her porcelain features. No more bowing to Shinra or to that pale child-eater, the demon-god, Sephiroth (her mind gave a shudder at the thought of him _and_ his slinky hair). Freedom. Soon.

Her mind slipped back to that last conference between Wutai and Shinra. She had stood at her father's side and listened as Rufus Shinra had denied Godo's request to announce Yuffie's official heirship to the throne of Wutai. With his denial, Shinra had effectively stated that Godo would be the last emperor of Wutai. The demon-god and the traitor had stood at his side reminding all Wutainese of the power of Shinra and Wutai's subservient place in the world. Arg!

Yuffie was uncertain how good an empress she would make, and she didn't intend to be empress for a long time, but she knew if she wasn't proclaimed heir, Wutai, as a country, would cease to exist with the death of her father.

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The pair entered the shrine through a little-used side door where they were met by two men. One, the high priest, Dong, Yuffie had known, and detested, her whole life. "Stuffy old windbag… but necessary to the process, I suppose." The other man she supposed to be an acolyte. Old Dong was just that, old—about 85, terminally ill, toothless, with skin like a dry spring roll over his skull and only a few wisps of white hair floating around his head. No wonder he had an acolyte with him.

"Let's get started," Godo said softly to the priest.

"Yes." Dong turned to the girl with a slight bow. "Your highness, your father and I will proceed to the high altar. I will begin with several prayers and an invocation. When you hear the gong, please join us." Yuffie listened to Dong's voice and thought it as wispy as his hair. Godo took the priest's elbow and helped him walk away.

"Congratulations, your highness, on your proclamation," a low-pitched, soft male voice seemed to wrap itself around Yuffie. She started. She had been watching her father walk away and was surprised to find the acolyte still with her.

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

"Yes… Congratulations." A hand extended itself toward the girl, and Yuffie for the first time examined the young man beside her. He was a head taller than her and perhaps ten years older dressed in a long coat with the handle of a large sword rising over his shoulder. She could see now that that the coat was dark red, his hair a dark brown, but it was the shine of his eyes that caused Yuffie to step back, realizing her mistake.

"Soldier! No!" Yuffie gasped and turned to run, but the man caught her by her arm.

"Stop, princess, please." He whispered tensely and pulled her back toward him. Not ungently as Yuffie had expected. "I'm not here for Shinra. My name is Genesis Rhapsodos. While I once _was_ a Soldier, I'm here to help your father, and you, in your rebellion." Yuffie turned back to face him with her upper arm still in his grip, but found her hands ached for her weapons. Yuffie took a deep breath. If a Solder were here now at her proclamation, then her father must know about him _and_ have approved. Yuffie's shoulders relaxed slightly, and Genesis, watching the thoughts cross her face, relaxed his grip on her arm, just as slightly. Just as suddenly, the sound of a soft gong reached their ears.

"If you will excuse me, Mr. Rhapsodos, I'm needed at the altar." With that, the girl turned on her heel to climb to the altar with her father and the priest.

"So… that's Princess Yuffie Kisaragi… Hm, _Crown Princess_ Yuffie Kisaragi, I suppose… _Empress_ Yuffie Kisaragi?" With the lift of an eyebrow, Genesis stepped back into the shadows of the shrine, only the speculative gleam of his eyes indicating his location to the three at the altar. "Clearly, my dear, Godo hasn't broken _all_ the news to you yet. '_The mysterious abyss tis the Gift of the Goddess. In pursuit of this gift we take flight. Within the heart's water surface a hopeless wander will flow. Like ripples to waves come forth the dreams below.' Loveless, Chapter 1."_


	4. Other Consequences of Sex

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, xXxValentinexXx, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—This chapter contains a lemon. If you don't want to read the lemon, skip it as indicated. In between is sex, so you can go straight to the consequences. Remember, I have a teenaged daughter reading this too!**

**Originally the story "A Belated Wedding Gift" was a chapter between "Proclamation in Wutai" and "Other Consequences of Sex"—it just got longer and longer until it was a story unto itself. "A Belated Wedding Gift" was the result of thinking about how an electric company could come to dominate the world and what would have happened to the people it stepped on to get to that position. In writing "Belated" I also discovered much about Vincent Valentine's origins. If you don't want to read "A Belated Wedding Gift," then you should know that Sephiroth and Tessa are planning to move to Vincent's house in the country—didn't know he had one, did you?—and that "Other Consequences of Sex" occurs the evening of the same day.**

Sephiroth and Tessa had spent the day with Vincent wandering around the Valentine estate in the country, making plans. Vincent had returned them to Shinra then had disappeared to his apartment on the floor below Sephiroth's without eating when the couple had asked him to stay for dinner. Both Tessa and Sephiroth had checked in at their offices before returning home for leftovers. Tessa's leftovers were still better than anything Sephiroth's old caterer had typically supplied him.

"Anything happen while you were gone?" Tessa had talked animatedly about Valentine Hall as they ate. As they cleared dishes from the table, however, Tessa enquired after Sephiroth's late afternoon.

"Actually, I had to sign off on sending Marcus and Nathan to Reactor 20. Zack had already made most of the arrangements when I arrived… I don't like it. I thought I had Reactor 20 under control when Zack and I were there several months ago and cleaned out the administrators, but there are monsters there again. Fortunately not the same ones Zack and I dealt with. If Marcus can't handle it, I may have to go myself."

"When do you expect to hear from Marcus?" Tessa looked her husband with a slight frown. She disliked monster attacks and the possibility that Sephiroth would dispatch himself to deal with them.

"Probably not until tomorrow afternoon. He has to get there first." Sephiroth could see Tessa's concern. "Don't worry. Marcus can handle about any situation."

"All right. We wait…" Tessa changed the subject, "Vincent left quickly. Do you suppose he had had enough talking for one day?" The couple stacked dishes in the dishwasher.

"Yes. I think today was quite an undertaking for him… Did you notice that while he talked about his family's connections to Shinra, he didn't say much about his _immediate_ family? What were the names of his parents again?... My grandparents?!" Sephiroth smiled. He had grandparents!

Tessa smiled too seeing Sephiroth's happiness then turned to close the dishwasher. "Grimoire Valentine was his father—I'm sure I've seen that name in Shinra lab records. His mother's name was Genevieve. The baby grand piano upstairs was hers, and she was a concert pianist! He had two brothers both of whom are gone now. I wonder what hap..."

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Sephiroth had stepped behind Tessa crowding her into the kitchen counter, lightly stroking two fingers up along the side of her body. Tessa giggled. That tickled. She leaned back against Sephiroth feeling his erection. He was still stroking her side and working the clasp of her skirt. He ran his hands inside the skirt, and it and her panties fell to the floor, then he reached a finger into the coppery curls of her pubis. Tessa began to sway to the rhythm of Sephiroth's hands. She lifted her hair above her head as his tongue began an exploration of the side of her neck making small swirls on her pulse.

Sephiroth opened the buttons of her blouse and the hooks of her bra keeping a finger slowly, gently tapping her mound. Undressing her. Naked she turned to face him. He had removed his shirt and slacks (he was so fast at that!), and his erection was in full bloom. She eyed him appreciatively then went to her knees before him.

Cupping his testicles with her hand she ran them gently through her fingers. Hearing his moan she pulled first one organ then the other into her mouth and rolled them over her tongue. Sephiroth leaned back and moaned louder. "Oh, baby. Tessa!" She grasped the base of his rod and slowly ran her tongue up its length, playing with the tip, catching a drop of him on her tongue, then taking Sephiroth full into her mouth and wrapped her arms around his cheeks. He began to thrust, short and quick, into the back of her throat, his fingers runneled through her hair.

Before he came, Sephiroth pulled back away from Tessa's hot mouth, picked her up, and carried her to the bedroom cementing her mouth to his as their tongues mapped each other's mouths. Sephiroth laid Tessa gently on her back on the bed and slid first one finger then two inside her. Tessa rode his fingers in short quick slides and pushed her hips upward to get his fingers in deeper.

"Tess, have I told you that I love you today?"

"I'm sure you did, but you can say it again since I love to hear it."

Sephiroth carefully judged his time to enter Tessa to be soon. He maneuvered his knees between her legs and lowered his head to suck her nub into his mouth. Sephiroth added a third finger inside her, spreading her, pushing her even further apart. Tessa raised her hips even more to help get him yet further inside. He added his thumb then whole fist beginning to twist it gently around, his hand making her jump now from pain in addition to pleasure.

Tessa lifted one leg to drape over his shoulder grasping his hair in her hands, and breathing bits of his name in little gasps, "Seph…i…roth…Seph…i…roth" She was beginning to see light flashes, and her toes were on fire. Her back arched upward. She lifted both feet high and wide above his shoulders.

Sephiroth dipped his head to her opening and laved with his tongue tasting her. Sephiroth then laid his erection along her mound wiping the tip slowly toward her opening. She gasped with the friction. Sliding inside her he stayed shallow and quick on his strokes then felt her vagina pulling on him, milking him into her body. She panted and gasped and her body began its rippling orgasm starting deep inside her and moving toward her extremities. Yes. Now. Sephiroth leaned more forward pushing farther in, grasping her hips and jamming her against him with each stroke, pushing harder against her legs with his full stroke, smashing more violently each time... Suddenly her gasps became screams. "Screaming isn't useful battle information" mantraed at the back of his brain overriding the sound. He felt himself get even larger and harder, filling her more completely, near to exploding.

"What?" Suddenly Sephiroth caught a familiar scent. Tessa's screaming then registered itself on his mind—he never heard her really _scream_ during sex before. Finally something else registered—the liquid feel around his rod was not the normal feel of Tessa.

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"Tessa! TESSA!" Sephiroth ripped himself out of her. Tessa's legs dropped leaden to the bed, and her hands slipped away from his hair. Sephiroth scrambled across the bed, knocked over the lamp in his haste, picked it up and angrily ripped on the light then froze at the sight of blood on the sheets flowing from between his wife's legs and at her sightless eyes.

"Tesss…." Sephiroth's face contorted, and pain, such as he'd never felt at the sight of blood, constricted his heart. He plunged his hand forward to her throat searching for a pulse… There. It was there. But the baby?

He pushed himself away from her to reach for his PHS. Materia couldn't help the baby—have to get her to a hospital. Sephiroth's shaking finger pulled up his phone list. No... NO! WHY DIDN'T HE HAVE AN EMERGENCY NUMBER IN HIS PHONE?!

Zack. Call Zack. Yeah. His finger ached for Zack's familiar speed dial code, but then Sephiroth remembered. Zack was out of the complex tonight… Was it a patrol down in the slums, or had it been a girl? Sephiroth's brain wasn't pointing where he was aiming.

_Sephiroth! I'll contact an ambulance and get the crew inside. I'll be there soon_. Vincent's mental voice echoed through his mind.

Sephiroth slid a hand behind Tessa's head and lightly kissed her lips. He could just detect her breath slipping in and out. He hugged her gently to him. Blood. What could have happened? Could he have triggered a break in her uterus? In the sack around the baby? What if they weren't all right? What if he had caused…? Caused what? He tried to force his thoughts away from "What ifs?" and "causes." Now there was only Tessa… and the baby.

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_Sephiroth!... Sephiroth! We're coming in!_ As he had brought the ambulance crew up from the Shinra lobby, Vincent had considered what to do if Sephiroth didn't open the door. He might not be willing to move away from Tessa even for the seconds it would take to cross the room. Vincent decided to simply kick down the door. As he and the crew passed Tseng's door, it opened to reveal Tseng shirtless, just pulling a pair of pants up over his narrow hips. An understanding look passed between the two men. Vincent wasn't surprised at Tseng's presence. In fact he rather welcomed it.

In front of the door Vincent raised one knee high. Upon seeing what Vincent was about to do, Tseng raised an eyebrow then also a knee. Both kicked out beating the door with the bottoms of their feet, the door simultaneously flying off its hinges and ripping the locks through the door frame. Vincent lead the crew down the hallway to the bedroom. The look on his son's face caused him to stop short. Sephiroth had managed to pull on jeans and a tee shirt, but rage was on his face, and Masamune lay near to hand.

The paramedics were working on Tessa checking her vital signs, preparing her arm for intravenous fluids. One rose and approached Sephiroth while the others lifted Tessa from the bed to the stretcher wrapping her in warm blankets and preparing an I.V. Sephiroth stared at her face.

"General Sephiroth. We're going to transport her to the university medical center. We'll take her straight into surgery. Please come with us." The group left the apartment heading for the outside hallway and the elevator where Tseng held the door.

Suddenly alone in his son's apartment, Vincent sadly shook his head. At least he could clean up the mess in the bedroom—and call a cleaning crew, blood had probably seeped into the mattress. Looking down at the bloody sheets Vincent stared. There were narrow purple streaks in the blood. What _was_ that? He dipped two fingers into a streak and brought it to his nose. Stagnant mako! How did it get there? Its effects could be dire… In the next instant Chaos took over the body they shared and stretched out his splayed right hand close above the bloody streaks. A low-pitched thrum began to beat in the room, and the bits of blood clumped, rolled, and crawled toward Chaos then floated up onto his hand. Chaos smiled at the treat and licked his fingers clean, his yellow eyes glowing even brighter than before.

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In the ambulance Sephiroth found himself holding Tessa's hand, staring at her face. A stray thought crossed his mind that he should take this minute to call Zack. For a second he wasn't sure he had his PHS. Surprised, he found it in a pocket of his jeans.

"Seph?" Zack's normal sounding voice answered the summons of the caller's ring tone. Sephiroth opened his mouth but nothing came out.

"Seph? Are you there?" More silence. "Seph?! Is something wrong?"

"Zack." The tortured words came out slowly, "something's…happened… I'm taking Tessa to emergency at the university hospital in an ambulance. Could you meet us there? Please?"

Zack's eyes widened. "Seph, _what's wrong?!_ What's happened?... I'm leaving right now. I'll be there just as quick as I can. Keep talking to me!" Sephiroth could hear his friend moving about in the background, and a woman's voice making enquiries.

"We were having sex… then there was so much blood coming out of her… she was unconscious… Then Vincent came with the ambulance, and now we're on our way…"

"Keep talking. When did this happen? Is Tess conscious now? Is Vincent with you? Just keep talking, Seph!" Zack's hand shook as it held the PHS to his ear. Earlier he had been glad he'd borrowed Sephiroth's car for the evening for his date, and now he was glad he could depend on it to get him to the hospital without having to catch the train. His foot pushed down hard on the accelerator, and the car leapt away, the PHS still pressed against his head.

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The rest of the ride was a blur to Sephiroth—pieces of coherence within blurs—snatches of the words he and Zack said to one another. Tessa wheeled through emergency straight into surgery. Sephiroth made to follow, Masamune in hand.

"Sir, no. You can't go in…" a resident stepped in front of Sephiroth trying to stop him. Lighting bolts flicked between his fingers, but Sephiroth simply tossed the poor man into the wall, leaving a body-shaped crack in the wallboard. Nothing could keep him away from Tessa.

"General. Please stop." Tessa's OB/GYN, Dr. Caperton, had stepped in front of him with a raised hand and serious expression. "Please come with me. You _can_ come in, but you'll need to be gowned first in order to protect your wife." Sephiroth's pupils twitched, and he lifted his head slightly. The man had courage at least.

"Fine. Lead the way."

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"I always wondered why doctors kept people out of the surgeries. Now I know. It's not just to keep the room and patient clean. We make them nervous." Sephiroth smirked. The doctors were all surreptiously watching the tall general with the sword who glared at them from the side of the room. He had relinquished Tessa's hand. He wasn't about to do the same with Masamune. His only concession there had been to wrap the blade in plastic.

Sephiroth could tell that the doctors were becoming less concerned about Tessa's life and more concerned about the condition of her uterus and the health of her baby. He hadn't realized that normal medical practice did not include the use of materia by and large. Materia was rare, expensive, and usually reserved for fighting. A tiny amount was used to hurry the healing process within the vagina, but with the baby separated by the amniotic fluid from the mother, materia wasn't of much use.

At one point a man with a mask held over his face stuck his head in through the swinging outside doors and looked about for the silver-haired general. "General Sephiroth, a man named Zack Fair is _insisting_ on seeing you." Sephiroth gave a curt nod and followed the man out the doors and into the hallway.

"Seph, how is she?" When Sephiroth didn't immediately respond, Zack tried again. "Seph?!"

"They think that Tessa's going to be all right." Zack flinched at his friend's cold voice. "It's the baby they're worried about. They're running tests now… but, Zack, I'm the cause of this. I _hurt_ her. _I_ hurt her so much…there was so much blood…The baby too. This is all… my… fault!" Sephiroth's thunderous face alarmed Zack.

"Seph, NO." Zack said firmly. "She'll be okay. The baby, too. You'll see. You can't blame yourself for what's happened. Tessa _wouldn't blame _you. You know that."

"I know that you're right, Zack, but… I protected her from Londo Shinra, but I couldn't protect her from _myself_."

"She's going to be all right, Seph. You'll see… Are you going to go back in?"

Sephiroth nodded. "I _have_ to be in there."

"Right. Okay…Why don't you put in a 'call' to your father?"

Sephiroth started. He hadn't thought of Vincent since the ambulance. _That's all right. You've had other things on your mind. I've just been cleaning up around your place. I'll be there shortly. _"It's okay. He's on his way. Would you watch for him? I'm going back in."

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Dr. Caperton had allowed Zack to use his office to wait in so that the half-crazed Soldier wouldn't alarm the general hospital population, but Zack wasn't a good waiter. He had paced the dark halls of the hospital, had even counted the carpet tiles. He was just considering making a pass to count ceiling tiles when Vincent and Tseng arrived.

"Is there any word?" Tseng asked. Zack noticed even late at night Tseng was wearing a blue suit, at least he wasn't wearing a tie and his hair was loose.

"Seph's been out to say they think Tessa will be okay, that it's the baby they're worried about. That's all I can tell you. Come on in here. Dr. Caperton, that's Tessa's OB, is letting me use his office." Zack closed the door. "Have you had any word from Reno and Rude?"

"Are we having a staff meeting?" Tseng smiled ruefully. "May as well, I suppose. No bugs in a doctor's office at the university. Probably…"

"What? You don't have control of all the bugs in Shinra yet?"

"Working on it… The main word from those two is that they're running into all kinds of dead ends, but one of them is going into that commune undercover as soon as all the details are ironed out. Possibly even tomorrow," Tseng glanced at his watch, "or, today… Seems Londo left a sizable bequest for the commune – we'll just see where this leads."

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"And _what_ was that little side trip about?" Tseng had turned to question Vincent after Zack had left to find coffee for the three men.

"Hm?"

"Don't 'hm' me. When we came in, you _had_ to find the ambulance that brought in Tessa. You got in, shut the door, stayed a couple of minutes. When you got out, you were _licking your fingers_."

"Nothing."

"You're worse than me." Tseng considered and smirked. "A Turk through and through."

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Near dawn Sephiroth found the trio. "Tessa _and the baby_ are going to be all right."

"YES! Thank Gaia, Seph!" Zack hugged Sephiroth to him pounding him on the back.

"The doctors told me that she'll be out for a while yet, but she's in recovery, and in about an hour she should be waking up."

Tseng stepped forward to shake Sephiroth's hand. "I'd say a visit to the hospital flower shop is in order… and maybe a bite to eat. Shall we?" Vincent nodded his head in agreement.

"No. Thanks anyway. I'm going back to recovery to wait for Tessa."

**A/N--About "Other Consequences," when I was carrying xXxValentinexXx, something vaguely similar to this happened to me. I was never more scared than I was that night in my entire life. The next day my husband and I went to my OB/GYN. Had I lost the baby? You know the answer—now she writes fanfiction!**


	5. Apple Town

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, xXxValentinexXx, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Time is becoming an issue. I've got three storylines going now and am having a bit of trouble keeping them all straight timewise. I recently scanned a copy of xXxValentinexXx's map of the Final Fantasy VII world and started adding time zones. I realized then that I had one chapter occurring 3 chapters too early… Hm…**

"Excuse me, but is _that_ a picture of Londo Shinra?"

"I'm sorry, sir. What did you say?" the secretary raised her head from her computer to look at the lawyer seated across from her in the waiting area.

"In that picture on the credenza, isn't that Londo Shinra?" The man stood and crossed the room to pick up a framed photo and showed it to the secretary.

"Uh, yes, it is."

"And who are the other people in the picture with him?"

"That's Ms. Hiland, her daughter, and her grandson." Just then the door to the inner office opened, and a silver-haired version of the woman in the photo emerged extending her hand. He set the picture back.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lowell," Lowell shook the small woman's hand and looked at her closely. He guessed her age at about seventy. Her eyes were red and swollen. Had she been crying over the news he had brought? Lowell smiled showing perfect straight white teeth. Lynette Hiland found herself smiling tentatively back. Lowell was about thirty, dark-skinned, with wavy black hair. The charcoal gray suit he wore had an empty left sleeve tucked into the jacket's overlap, but otherwise he looked fit. He handed her his card which she read—"Edward P. Lowell, Esq.—Wills, Trusts, Estates, Probate—Smith, Lowell & Ryerson, P.C."—with offices in Midgar and Junon.

"Please come in and sit down. I'm Lynette Hiland. I'm the head of Apple Town. I was so sorry to get your message about Londo. He was a beloved member of our community… How did he die?"

"'Ned,' please," Lowell smiled at the woman as they sat, "Londo Shinra died of heart failure shortly after he returned to Midgar. Very tragic. An autopsy showed that he had had a weak heart for years… While the probate of his will would normally take up to a year to complete, he did leave a bequest for Apple Town with specific instructions that the money be turned over to the community within one month of his demise." Looking at his watch, Lowell continued, "If you'll notice, I'm almost two weeks early."

"Yes." Ms. Hiland smiled. "You must understand… Ned… this is all so sudden. Just three weeks ago I had dinner with Londo. That was the night he told me he was going back to Midgar to resume management of his company. I was stunned by his decision. He'd been here for years. I had thought he was happy here, but he simply left."

"Yes. I see. That does seem odd." Lowell opened a briefcase he'd set at his feet and took out a legal file folder. "I'd like to read to you what Mr. Shinra wrote in his will, 'To my beloved Lynette Hiland and the Apple Town Foundation, I leave the sum of five million gil. I hope that she will apply the money to the furtherance of the Banora Project on which she and I have been working for years.' That's all he wrote. May I ask, just what is the 'Banora Project'?"

"Hm?" Lynette Hiland seemed distracted. "Oh yes. Londo was very generous… Well, the goal of the Banora Project is to restore the banora apple orchards that were fire-bombed by Shinra several years ago. When Shinra destroyed the orchards, nearly the world's entire supply of "stupid apples" was destroyed. An entire _variety_ eliminated! What a terrible pity… Are you familiar with banora apples, Mr. Lowell?"

Lowell leaned forward, "Please forgive me, Ms. Hiland, but _what_ fire-bombing?"

"Oh. Well according to Londo the Shinra company had been performing some secret experiments in Banora just a few miles from here. Unfortunately the experiments got out of hand. Londo said that the all the facilities and the surrounding area had to be destroyed, for the protection of everyone. You understand."

"I see… So the funds are to go to plant apple orchards?"

"Yes. We've restored about two thousand acres of banora apples from the few that survived. With the funds from Londo, we'll be able to restore several thousand more acres… I think we'll name the new orchards in his honor." She smiled again.

"I'm sure he would have liked that." Lowell stood and handed an envelope and a copy of the will to her. "This is a cashier's check for the funds made out to you and the Apple Town Foundation. If you would sign and date here,.. and here,… and here," he paused leaning over the desk pointing at the signature lines on three copies, "for receipt of the money."

"Yes, of course…" she signed the receipts, glanced at the check in the envelope, then set it aside. "I suppose the funeral has already been held. I would have liked to meet his son…"

"A private funeral was held a week ago. There will be a public remembrance in his honor in a few weeks, but the date hasn't been finalized yet. I'll see to it that you're notified of the arrangements, if you like."

"Yes, please do." Lynette Hiland stood. "As long as you're here, Mr. Lowell, would you like the grand tour?"

"Why, yes! Thank you. My ship back to Midgar doesn't leave until this afternoon. I had wondered what I was going to do with my time."

Ccccccccccccccc

"Way to go, partner, the 'grand tour'!" Rude could hear Reno clearly via the tiny receiver in his inner ear. Rude would kill Reno when he got out of here. "I think she likes you, buddy! See if she'll show you her place, too!"

Cccccccccccccccc

Reno and Rude had arrived separately in Mideel a week before to try to get an angle on Apple Town. Reno had worked the underside of the city—bars and sleazy night clubs. Rude had taken a mid-level approach talking with local authorities and Shinra security people. So far all their investigations had been largely futile, however. Everyone they had talked to gave them much the same story. Apple Town was a commune about ten miles outside of Mideel. The members were a little flaky (their whole purpose in life seemed to be the restoration of banora apples), but they came and went freely in the city and paid their bills and taxes on time. They had never given anyone any trouble. There had been no incidents and no disappearances of locals. There was nothing in the least bit sinister about Apple Town. Reno had toyed with the idea of going undercover as a new recruit to the commune, but then they had hit on the idea of Rude posing as a lawyer. The will and the check were legit – though it had taken time to get them from Midgar.

"They're a little too perfect to be normal, yo. It ain't normal, I swear! I mean who the hell pays their bills and taxes on time, every time?!"

"Londo Shinra was wearing a wire, and yet there's nothing here." Rude sat at a small desk in Reno's room. The pair was holed up at a down-side hotel in Mideel. Rude's lawyer persona, Lowell, had got on the late afternoon ship to Midgar (hair and all), but Rude had quietly slipped off. "Nothing in the apartment—we went over it with a fine-toothed comb. What are we missing?" Reno noticed that Rude was cleaning the attachments for his left arm, again.

"Play me the part again—what the old lady said when you asked about the bombing?" Reno was sitting on the bed smoking with his toes… again.

"Would you stop that!" Rude picked up the small recorder from the bed next to him, ran it to the beginning, and listened to a tinny version of Lynette Hiland's voice: "…according to Londo the Shinra company had been performing some secret experiments in Banora just a few miles from here. Unfortunately the experiments got out of hand. Londo said that the all the facilities and the surrounding area had to be destroyed, for the protection of everyone…"

"What experiments in Banora?... Did she say Banora was near Apple Town?"

"Yeah. Just a few miles from Apple Town… I think we should check out Banora. See if it really is a bombed out shell. Get Tseng on the line and let him know."

"Right." Reno crushed out his cigarette.

Cccccccccccccccc

"What did you think of Mr. Lowell, Vanessa?" Lynette Hiland was questioning her secretary.

"He was certainly polite, ma'am, but he took quite an interest in your picture of you with Mr. Shinra." She waved a hand in the direction of the credenza.

"Really? Well it does include Londo Shinra, once the most powerful man on Gaia. I suppose that could make someone inquisitive."

"He asked who the other people in the picture were."

Lynette Hiland cut her eyes at her secretary, "and what did you tell him?"

"Just that the other people in the picture were you, your daughter, and grandson."

"Hm. Vanessa, I want to view the surveillance tape of his visit. Please set it to run in my office. Let's have another look at Mr. Lowell."

Ccccccccccccccccccc

"Banora?!" Warning bells went off in Tseng's head. "What!!"

"Okay, boss, spill… We heard Shinra had been running experiments in Banora and that the town was fire-bombed. Couldn't have been for rotten _apples_, now could it, yo?"

Tseng remembered all too well the sight of airships firing ordinance into the small country town and surrounding orchards as he'd flown away in his helicopter. Innocent people had died in that town, and he'd been _ordered_ to do it and get out.

"Banora… All right… Londo Shinra _personally_ financed _two_ sets of experiments aimed at producing _super-Soldiers_, all outside the official Shinra labs, you understand. One project you already know about—Project Jenova in Nibelheim, run by Hojo, it produced Sephiroth. The other was Project G in Banora, run by Vester Hollander, it produced _two_ super-Soldiers. One was Genesis Rhapsodos. The other was Angeal Hewley. The official line is that Genesis was 'lost,' presumed dead in Wutai. The real story is that both Soldiers were unstable and degenerated. Zack Fair killed Hewley when Hewley merged with some clones and became a monster. Rhapsodos, though, may still be alive. Hollander continued the work in Banora even after he took over the main Shinra labs in Midgar. He was trying to stabilize Hewley and Rhapsodos, but he also produced a bunch of clones of those two in Banora, and they ran amok. Londo Shinra had the town and surrounding area leveled. Whatever you might have thought about Hojo, he seems to have been a better scientist than Hollander—Sephiroth's stable—though I'd like to give his wife all the credit for that."

"You think old man Shinra was still financing some form of this Project G? That's what we may have here?"

"I don't know. Maybe. In fact—probably… I was Verdot's field commander on that operation. I can tell you we leveled the whole area, but if Rhapsodos _is_ still alive then it's almost certain that Hollander is too… Yes, they _could_ have moved back into Banora and restarted operations… If that's what's happened, I want you to be _very_ careful but get over there tonight and check it out."

"You know me, boss man. 'Careful' is my middle name." Reno paused. Was that Tseng's teeth grinding?—ha! "Do you remember anything about the local layout? Where the labs were?"

"The labs were about a half mile outside the town in a large warehouse-looking building. Find what's left of the town and head a bit north of due west. If there's _anything_ left there, let me know _fast_."

"Right," Reno flipped the PHS closed and turned to his partner with a smirk. "Show time."

cccccccccccccccc

Lynette Hiland turned off the video. Lowell seemed legitimate, just very _curious_. He had also asked a number of questions during the tour. She turned to the phone. "Vanessa, would you put me through to Mr. Rhapsodos, please?"


	6. Awakening

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, xXxValentinexXx, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—I'm posting early this week. I'll be at a martial arts tournament out of state this weekend so wish me, Angeal Valentine (the author formerly known as "xXxValentinexXx"), and Bjanik luck. Next week I should be back to my usual Saturday/Sunday schedule.**

"Tessa? Tessa?"

Tessa could hear a distant voice calling her over and over. Insistently. No, let me sleep. I can't move. I don't want to get up… Please let me sleep… I _can't_ move…

"Tessa…Tessa…Tessa. Honey, please open your eyes. Tessa."

The voice seemed so familiar and sad. Sephiroth? Sad? Tessa's eyelids wouldn't open. Were they stuck together? She felt Sephiroth's hard, calloused hand in hers, and she twitched her fingers. The hand in hers squeezed her fingers hard—so hard she winced. She was able to crack one eye open then to see him.

"Hi." Tessa breathed the word more than spoke it. Sephiroth jerked forward to kiss her, relieved to see that shining aqua eye.

"Hi, yourself. I'd hug you, but I'm afraid you're in the middle of a nest of tubes."

"Guess so... What happened? The last thing I remember was you and me…" Tessa's voice trailed off. He didn't look well to her. Beyond him she could make out what looked like a private hospital room with several bouquets of flowers nearby. Sephiroth held her hand in both of his kissing her fingers, his elbows propped on the side of her bed.

"You started bleeding, and an ambulance came and brought us here. Zack, Tseng, and Vincent are here, too. They were all here while the doctors operated on you. Took all night, but you and the baby are going to be all right. They took samples for a number of tests during the operation too. Dr. Caperton's been in _three times_. In a few hours he wants to do an ultrasound on you. He says we'll even get to see the baby."

Tessa's warm laughter bubbled up from deep inside her. Sephiroth looked _so_ tired. He had that look that said "near tears" breaking through his façade.

"Good. We'll see the baby."

Cccccccccccccccc

After that Zack, Tseng, and Vincent individually stuck their heads in the room to check on Tessa—such good friends. Tseng and Zack headed back to Shinra. They both had their own responsibilities to fulfill, Zack saying he would contact Tessa's own second, Glenn, to let him know that he would need to run the lab for a few days. Tessa thought this good practice for Glenn in advance of her maternity leave. Vincent, having no official Shinra duties, stayed at the hospital. Tessa would be spending at least one more day there. She slept away the morning while Sephiroth watched over her.

Late morning a nurse wheeled a machine into Tessa's room, removed most of the tubes, and adjusted her gown to spread cold, clear goop on Tessa's stomach. Sephiroth tensed watching. What were they doing to his wife? It looked decidedly odd. At that point Dr. Caperton entered the room, and he nodded the nurse out.

"Good morning, General." Dr. Caperton shook Sephiroth's hand then opened the color-coded file folder he'd carried under his arm with Tessa's name on it and set it on a counter away from the couple. "Dr. Romera, you're looking _much _better than you did last night. Now let's just see what the ultrasound has to show us today…" He lifted an angled wand from the machine and placed one end in the middle of the goop moving it slowly and smoothly back and forth while he watched traces on a small screen.

Sephiroth cut his eyes to the display. He could see a small human shape about three inches tall on the screen, tumbling about inside his wife. Kicking, bounding as if from a trampoline. Jumping even?! For just a second he thought he saw a spark of electricity flick across the screen, around the baby perhaps? "Hope _that's_ just my imagination…at least for now." He thought. He heard a mental chuckle from Vincent. _You're here?_

_Of course. I want to see too. After all, I missed all this with you._

_Did they even have ultrasound back then?_

_Who knows? Certainly not me._

"Everything looks good. See here, arms, legs, head. All the major parts seem to be present. Might be a girl, but remember, little boys hide sometimes," Dr. Caperton continued. He set the wand in its cradle then pushed a button three times. Three gray images printed out. He put one of the pictures in the file folder then handed two to Tessa and Sephiroth. "Here you are—your first baby pictures."

Sephiroth stared at his picture. He felt his shoulders completely relax and his knees slightly weaken. _Finally, everything is all right. I want to take my family _home_!_

"Now, I need to discuss with you both _two_ serious matters from the results of the tests we took samples for last night." Dr. Caperton looked back at the folder then paused taking a deep breath. "First, Dr. Romera, you have a very high mako level, and you've been monitoring it yourself. I sent samples of your blood and of the amniotic fluid over to your lab, and your assistant, Glenn, has sent the results back. For the first time we have a feel for the _baby's_ level. The level of mako in the fluid is _significantly_ higher than your own level. The fluid is currently at 280 (Tessa gasped—the level was close to Sephiroth's 300+ range) while your own level is down to 170 from the 190 of your last exam just two weeks ago. You're down in level even with the mako injections you've been receiving. I'm concerned that the baby is draining your mako, Dr. Romera, in addition to pulling mako in through you from the environment. The transfusions you received during surgery didn't help this situation either." He paused again, seeing Tessa's face drain of color. "We'll need to take another amniotic sample in a few days to be sure, but if we see your levels fall further and the baby's rise, we'll have to come up with a way to further strengthen your level. You're the expert here, Doctor. I'll go along with whatever you recommend."

"Yes." Tessa nodded.

"Second, I have some _bad_ news for you, and I want you both to brace yourselves." The doctor paused and took another deep breath. He hated this sort of thing. Sephiroth could suddenly feel the blood pounding in his temples. Tessa reached for his hand. Both held their breaths. "I am very sorry to tell you this, but the tests indicate that you _were_ carrying _twins_, Dr. Romera, but there is only one child now... Please remember that you have a child on the way, probably healthy, and we want to keep both you and the baby that way. Now I'm going to give you a few minutes alone, then I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. Please excuse me." With that the doctor left the room.

Tessa's head turned jerkily to Sephiroth. She stared at him stunned, her eyes crinkling in pain. Her hand in Sephiroth's started to shake, then so did the rest of her. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "How can losing something you didn't know you had… _hurt_ _so much?_" she questioned, and she crumpled over, gulping air, sobbing hysterically.

Sephiroth gathered her in his arms and held her against his chest nuzzling the top of her head. He had rarely known Tessa to cry. He had certainly never comforted someone crying this hard, but he had had all night to imagine the whole range of horrible consequences, even losing both of them. Tessa, on the other hand, had just awakened to this awful reality. She was still alive, and they still had a baby. In a sense, nothing had changed.

"Tess, we knew going in that for you to carry my child would be difficult… Now we know just how difficult it is. We will get through this together. _We_ have someone to protect. I completely love you, and I always will."

Gradually Tessa's shaking lessened. She looked up at Sephiroth and smiled weakly. Her hand slipped around his neck and pulled his lips to hers. Her normally active brain had stopped dead at the doctor's words, all whirring had ceased. Sephiroth refocused her on what was important.

"Yes, you're right." She smiled. "I completely love you, too." Sephiroth handed her a tissue, and she wiped her eyes, but then she frowned. The whirring that usually went on in the back of her mind had started again softly, but had quickly escalated to a buzzing. Something was wrong and trying to get her attention. She took a deep breath. "Something about what Dr. Caperton said though… One of the…" she couldn't say it, "returned to the Lifestream… Jenova cells too..." Bits of the Cetra poetry she had absorbed in the Nibelheim lab began to echo through her head.

"What are you thinking?"

"I need… to talk to Vincent. Something about 'terra corrupt.' When Jenova cells die, they enter the Lifestream but they corrupt it, and leave behind _stagnant mako_. I think I may have stagnant mako in my uterus with the baby!"

Sephiroth pulled back in shock. _Is that possible? Do Jenova cells produce stagnant mako upon death? Can stagnant mako harm the baby?_

_I'm afraid Tessa's analysis is correct. It's almost certain that the stagnant mako will harm the baby, _given time_. Chaos detected stagnant mako in the blood on your bed last night and destroyed it. This morning he destroyed the blood in the ambulance and in the surgery as well. _

_Is there anything you can do?_

_Chaos could destroy the stagnant mako, but he might just kill her to get at it. I don't think it's a good idea._

Tessa waited for Sephiroth to give her Vincent's reply seeing a bit of tightening flash from one corner of Sephiroth's mouth, quickly banished. "Vincent says Chaos detected the stagnant mako in your blood at the apartment last night. He's afraid it will harm the baby."

"Oh." Tessa made a decision then and there. She knew what she was about to suggest would be rejected by her husband outright, but it could well be the only way to deal with the situation. "I'm afraid that I may have to spend some time in a tube in order to have this baby. Long term exposure to pure mako should flush the stagnant mako from my system."

"Damn it! No! I won't have it! I won't let our _child_ be grown a laboratory, in a tube, like some experimental test subject!" Tessa knew Sephiroth was thinking of the clones Hojo had grown from his cells. They had been nearly lifeless, without cognitive function, old before their time, like netted fish,… soulless.

"When Dr. Caperton talked about the baby's and my mako levels, I thought perhaps some form of the slow mako drip that Cloud is receiving, but now, with stagnant mako involved, perhaps spending time in a tube, hopefully just a few days, might be the best thing to do."

"Tessa," Sephiroth held her tightly to him and kissed the top of her head gently. "There's _no_ other choice?"

She shook her head sadly, "none."

Cccccccccccccccc

Dr. Caperton returned, and Tessa explained to him that while the divergence in her and the baby's mako levels was a problem, the presence of stagnant mako was an even bigger obstacle. She would be "living" in a tube for a few days.

"Well, you and your husband _are_ the world's experts on mako effects. I've never heard of 'stagnant mako,' but if _you_ believe it's a hazard, then I have to concur with your treatment plan… What can I do to help?"

"Please come by my laboratory and check on me once a day while I'm in the thing. Glenn and my staff can keep an eye on me on, say, an hourly basis."

"Very well. I would suggest you start as soon as possible. In fact you should probably go from here straight into a tube."

"Yes, I think you're right... I'll call Glenn, get him to inspect the tube we have at the lab to be sure it's in good working order, and have him check that we have sufficient mako solution on hand for this feat. I'll let you and my husband decide how long to keep me there. After all, I plan to sleep for several days." She paused, "Dr. Caperton, was there any indication…? Do you know...?" she sighed then whispered, "Boy or girl?"

Dr. Caperton sighed in his turn and looked at the couple, "girl."

Sephiroth felt his wife softly resume crying in his arms, her head nuzzling more snuggly against his chest, and he held her close.

**A/N—I've never been sure you can see the baby bouncing around on an ultrasound, but my husband insisted he saw it. I couldn't make out anything for sure when I had ultrasounds taken on me and my daughter.**


	7. The Tube

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine (the author formerly known as xXxValentinexXx), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—The tournament out of state went well. Angeal Valentine tied for first in her division. Bjanik and I ran the center refereeing positions in two rings. We'll see if I can keep the once-a-week posting schedule. Right now there are martial arts competitions about every other weekend until the national championships the first week of July. **

In preparation for the return to Shinra, Dr. Caperton removed the remainder of the tubes connected to Tessa's body and ordered an ambulance.

Tessa contacted Glenn and began firing orders: inspect and ready the lab's one remaining tube (Tessa had gotten rid of all but one of the Hojo-era tubes, and the room had become more storeroom than lab); order a two-week supply of the highest concentration mako solution available; and contact Tseng to have Dr. Caperton given clearance and credentials for the lab.

Sephiroth stepped into the hall to see Vincent, who was leaning against the wall and scaring off the staff. _We're heading back to Shinra. Would you bring Dr. Caperton in my car?_ Sephiroth wanted as much as time as possible alone with Tessa before she got in the tube. _Oh, and Masamune?_ Sephiroth tossed him the keys.

_Of course._

With that Sephiroth lifted Tessa gently in his arms and carried her to the ambulance.

cccccccccccccccc

"I heard you order extra mako. Are you expecting you might be in there longer than a few days?"

"I'm not anticipating that there will be a problem, but if my levels don't come up quickly, we will need the extra mako. Better to get it ordered now. _Occasionally_ mako solution supplies can be erratic. Besides if all goes well, I'll soak up mako like a sponge. Hopefully we _will_ need extra." She reached out and cupped Sephiroth's cheek with her palm. "Don't worry. We've already decided this is the best thing to do. I should need less mako with _just_…" Her eyes crinkled with tears again. She was barely able to think about the loss of their daughter.

Sephiroth shook his head. "Just because I know this is the right thing to do, doesn't mean the next few days aren't going to be hell."

"What can I say to that?" She smiled. "It's good to know you'll miss me."

"In spades."

"Just promise me you'll get some rest too. I'll bet you haven't slept since this whole mess started."

"Yeah, well, I've been kind of busy… Besides, who could rest with Vincent thinking at me?"

"I wish he were here to hear you say that!" Tessa took her husband's hand and raised it to her lips. Sephiroth reached behind her head and pulled her to him then kissed her eyes, removing her tears. His tongue persuaded her lips apart and ran over the roof of her mouth. Her hands traced the muscles of his shoulders and upper back before tangling in his silver hair. "I love you."

Cccccccccccccc

At Tessa's direction the ambulance stopped before the Shinra doors by the service elevators, coming to rest in front of Glenn and a tech with a wheelchair. Sephiroth waved the tech and the chair away and lifted his bundled wife himself from the stretcher to carry her to the lab. Once in the back room Sephiroth closed the door on everyone. He helped Tessa out of the hospital gown she was still wearing using the time to re-memorize the feel of her skin under his finger tips and the touch of her lips on his. Her hands slipped under his tee-shirt, pulled it over his head, and untangled it from his hair. She traced her hands over his chest and abdominals.

"Wrap me in your wing… just for a minute... please." His huge wing swept with a whisper around them both. Tessa found herself surrounded by soft feathers held tight against his hard body. "You do know I don't want to do this. I want to stay here with you just like this… where we're_ all_ safe…" Sephiroth kissed her hard and long.

"Safe… I'll never let you go, Tess… I'll keep you safe. Gaia, I want to make love to you right now!"

"I want you to!" His feathers tickled her back, and her nipples tightened against his chest. She could feel him stiffening against her.

"But… we do what we _have_ to do," he said.

Tessa smiled, "always… and that's how long I'll love you."

With a last lingering kiss and a deep breath to pull his scent into her lungs, Tessa backed away, her fingers sliding from Sephiroth's, his wing slipping inside his body. She stepped onto the tube's bottom platform, and Sephiroth worked the controls himself to lower the tube over her. A heavy fabric screen had been taped around the tube. It gradually blocked her body from view then her face reappeared as the tube settled into position. "Because we do what we _have_ to do." He hit the "fill" switch listening as the mako solution splashed into the tube, watching as a small shiver passed through her as the cool liquid hit her body, the liquid level rising quickly. Sephiroth pointed at the temperature gauge. Tessa raised three fingers then her thumb upward, and Sephiroth pressed the temperature control button three degrees higher. Sephiroth stepped up to the tube and placed his left hand on the warming glass. Tessa placed her right hand on the glass as well, as if they could touch each other through it. She tried to smile at him. "Ready?" he mouthed. She nodded.

Sephiroth slipped his tee-shirt on then turned to the room's door and opened it. Glenn took over the controls, talking Dr. Caperton through their operation and the monitor readings.

"General, shall I start the anesthesia?"

Sephiroth nodded, and Glenn opened the feed line. Sephiroth stood close to the tube watching as the light in Tessa's eyes dulled and her eyelids closed, her copper hair waving about her head. Glenn and Dr. Caperton again left the room closing the door. Sephiroth leaned his forehead on the glass. "We do what we _have_ to do… Tessa…"

Cccccccccccc

"Seph, we gotta talk." Mid-afternoon Zack entered the room no one else dared enter. Sephiroth didn't stir. He stood near the tube staring at his floating wife. "Seph, Marcus called in. He needs reinforcements from here. Seems the army grunts he got from Gongaga weren't enough. The monsters keep showing up. Seph, are you listening to me?"

Sephiroth didn't turn. "I heard you, Zack… So, what do you want to do about it?"

This was new—Sephiroth asking his opinion on a command-level decision. "I thought we might send Alars and Britton with three more Soldiers and another twenty grunts. That work by you?"

"Sounds about right. Anything else?"

"Reno and Rude reported in from Mideel. You're not going to like this, Seph… Remember, _Banora_? Turns out Londo Shinra's commune practically _is_ Banora."

Sephiroth cut his eyes at his second. "Damn… _Genesis_… Zack, I want guards on this room—two in the hall, one in here—three hour shifts. I won't have her left alone, at any time, for any reason. Understood?" Zack nodded. "I want a second class and two thirds for each shift and be sure Cloud's in the rotation. It'll be good for him to put in some time… Tseng say anything else?"

"Yeah. The terrible twosome will be going into the commune tonight to investigate further."

"So… We wait."

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After leaving Shinra with his new "staff credentials," Dr. Caperton returned to his university medical center office, and thought for a long time even as he worked. Tessa Romera's pregnancy was certainly the most unusual he'd ever seen—mako, stagnant mako, odd genetic material. He and Dr. Romera had already discussed writing an article (perhaps several) after the delivery. This pregnancy would certainly be one for the history books—and the medical journals.

Dr. Caperton dictated his notes and left the disk for transcription. A young medical secretary later slipped it into her player. Eyes widening, she listened to the recording, "Dr. Tessa Romera, wife of General Sephiroth… twenty-two weeks gestation … treatment _in vitro_ with highest concentration mako solution commencing immediately at Shinra medical research laboratories…" The secretary had a second purpose in Midgar. Soon the news was winging its way around Gaia to an interested party.


	8. Elsewhere

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine (the author formerly known as xXxValentinexXx), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Remember when I said I'd had to put time zones on a map of Gaia? This chapter is the reason why. It's a mish-mash of events happening simultaneously around the world. For those of you obsessed with time (like me), it's still the same day on which Tessa woke up from the operation and entered the tube—the twenty-second week, first day of her pregnancy. It's 9:00 pm in Mideel, two time zones ahead of Midgar where it's 7:00 pm, and 3:00 pm in Gongaga. I suppose somewhere there's an official time zone map of Gaia, but Angeal Valentine had never seen one, so I made it up myself. I apologize if this bothers you, but it helps me keep straight what's going on where and who knew what when…**

"Would you look at that! _Young apple trees!_ What the hell else did we expect?" Reno and Rude, clothed in uncharacteristic black outfits laden with pockets, lay hidden on top of a low hill off the main road from Mideel. After hiding their small security-division car they had walked the last half mile toward the approximate location of Banora to reach their current position.

"Yeah, but look over there!" Rude lowered his night-vision goggles and pointed toward the north where a faint glow could occasionally be seen through the apple leaves blowing in the breeze.

"You suppose that might be what we're looking for, yo?"

Rude shrugged. "Don't know… Nothing _else_ here, though. Let's check it out."

Sticking to the deeper shadows of the trees, the pair made their way toward the glow. What they found was a light attached to a low cement structure with a nearby red-lettered sign on a pole reading "Irrigation Well #3."

"Great. Now what?" Reno flopped down onto the cement slap, his pony tail bouncing in disgust.

"Have you seen any rubble, burned branches, that sort of thing?"

"No, but if they used incendiaries like the old lady said, then you wouldn't expect much of anything to be left at all."

Rude shook his head. "Other than trees, and this well, there _doesn't_ seem to be much… Wait a minute. Why is there a well here for 'irrigation'? How much rainfall does this area get anyway? Why would the Apple Townians need to irrigate at all?"

"I don't know. Maybe it doesn't rain enough _all_ the time? They _are_ pretty nuts about their apples after all.

Rude sat next to his partner on the cement slab then popped to his feet. "What the…?!"

"What? Something bite you?" Reno sneered.

"Sat on something!" Rude reached into one of the pockets of the black night suit and pulled out a tiny flashlight. "Hey, look at this! It's a _plaque_ or something." Rude read the inscription aloud:

On this site – the home of John Samuel Klingman and Shara White Klingman

Reno looked around, "Yeah, and over here on the ground."

On this site – the home of William Clyde Rhapsodos, Mayor of Banora, and Cynthia Lancaster Rhapsodos

"Wait! 'Rhapsodos'? As in 'Genesis Rhapsodos'?" Reno looked startled.

"Yeah, I think so. I think we found Banora. Look over there." Rude pointed to the east where a granite monument slab stood upright amid the trees about a hundred yards away. The pair walked over and turned their lights on the slab.

IN MEMORY OF THE TOWN OF BANORA –

Wiped from the face of Gaia by Shinra.

Remember and weep.

Erected by the Apple Town Foundation.

On this site – Banora Park and Playground

"Hm." Backing away, Reno caught his heel on something on the ground and sat hard on his backside. "Damn root!"

"No. Look at this." Rude was shining his light on another of the bronze plaques at Reno's feet.

On this site – the home of Randall Clark Hewley and Gillian Hiland Hollander Hewley

"'Hiland Hollander Hewley'? How 'aychy' can you get, yo?!"

"That's 'alliterative,' you idiot… Yeah, but remember Lynette Hiland had a daughter and a grandson. Gillian Hiland married Vester Hollander?! And her son was Angeal Hewley?! Yeah. Just like Sephiroth was supposed to be the son of Hojo. You suppose Hojo got the idea from Hollander?"

"As long as we're supposing, try this one. 'Dear Londo' had been here a long time according to the old lady. You suppose he might just have been Gillian Hiland's father?"

"_I _think that's _enough_ speculation, gentlemen." A black-clad Lynette Hiland stepped from the trees with a gun in her hand. Surrounding the two Turks were a dozen other black-clad, gun-carrying figures. The Turks slowly raised their hands in the air.

cccccccccccc

Outside Reactor 20 in the swamps near Gongaga, Marcus swung his claymore in the downward beheading stroke that seemed to work best on these monsters. Another one down—and probably six more to replace it. It seemed as though they'd been hacking and casting for hours. He cast a shield to give himself a breather, leaning over with his hands on his knees, when his long-time partner and fellow first class, Nathan, joined him under the shield.

"This… is getting old _fast_, Marcus." Nathan was breathing hard too. "Any word… on the reinforcements… you requested?"

Marcus nodded curtly, "Zack says… the General approved Britton and Alars… with three more Soldiers and twenty grunts… but they can't be here before tomorrow noon."

"Damn… Bilson says he's lost five of the grunts badly wounded… That's nearly half the regular army guys out of action."

"Bilson have any recommendations?... After all, he's at least been here before."

"Yeah, get the hell out."

"As if _that's_ gonna happen."

"Yeah, and he knows it too. His other suggestion, and I concur, is that we pull back into the reactor, rest a bit, and reload on materia… The monsters haven't been able to get inside the reactor's ring wall, it's just isolated from the rest of the world."

"All right… we pull back. Pass the word. You and I'll hang back as rearguard. Have Bilson get the others inside."

"Done," and Nathan left the protection of the shield in the direction of Bilson. Marcus instantly was back in the fight with a downward stab into a monster's shoulder, hopefully at its heart, wherever Gaia may have put that, then pulling back with a cut across its hamstrings laming the creature. It screamed in pain and headed away from Marcus. Between Marcus and the reactor wall he could hear regular army troops moving toward the reactor gate. "Come on, come on, come on. Move it!" He thought at the troops then Nathan was slashing at his side again.

"Bilson reports everyone's inside!"

"Great. Move back slow-ly…" Suddenly behind them the gates crashed shut. Both First Class Soldiers looked behind them in surprise.

"That's far enough, Marcus… _Nattie boy_!"

"What?!" Suddenly from the direction of the jungle, ghosts from the Soldiers' past stepped from the swamp.

"Matthews, Connors, Rodriguez! You're dead!! What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

"You'll wish we were dead in a few minutes, Marcus. _General_ Rhapsodos got us out of Shinra, and now we're taking care of Shinra together!" Carl Matthews swaggered forward. Matthews as a tall, thickly built bully with thinning brown hair. Sephiroth had beat him into submission on a half dozen occasions—not one of those lessons seemed to have stuck. All three men had been second classes and members of Squad 14 supposedly lost along with Rhapsodos on patrol in Wutai.

"Genesis always was a _self-promoting_ bastard." Marcus glanced at Nathan and saw the flush on his cheeks. He knew he had to get Nathan to cool off—Nathan might lose his head in any fight against the taunting Matthews—the two had hated each other ever since they were cadets together. He stepped in next to Nathan and whispered, "Remember, if the enemy taunts you, they're really afraid of you." He caught Nathan's startled expression from the corner of his eye. Taking a step closer to Matthews and readying his sword, Marcus said aloud, "So you're here to take us on when we have more Soldiers and grunts in the reactor."

Matthews laughed humorously. "Do you really have more men inside? Checked with Bilson lately?"

Marcus raised his head, and Matthews could see a hint of alarm on his face. "Nathan, check on it."

Nathan raised his PHS, "Bilson, everything okay in there?"

The reply came back, "Sorry, Nathan, we got inside, and the reactor people all had automatic weapons pointed at us. We didn't see them until it was too late… Ugh..." and the line went dead.

"No help, is there, Nattie?"

Nathan glared, "He's right, Marcus… Guess we'll just have to fight it out."

"You _really_ gonna do that, Marcus? You were always a good commander, and now your men are prisoners in the hands of the reactor personnel. Unless you surrender, they're dead."

Marcus didn't like it, but he shrugged, "We're all dead anyway, aren't we, Carl? They're gonna shoot us from the walls, aren't they? Might as well fight it out then."

"I am _so_ glad you said that!" Matthews waved his hand in a brushing gesture, and Rodriguez moved to the side to give the two men fighting room. Before they could engage, however, Nathan rushed Connors with a cut running from his left hip to his right shoulder. Connors was able to partially pass the swing, but the attack drew blood all along his torso. Nathan then kicked Connors away and turned to join Marcus in the fight against Matthews who was blocking Rodriguez from engaging.

Marcus knew he and Nathan had to take Matthews out fast, but they also had to stay close to their attackers or else the reactor people would be shooting at them. But doing something surprising might also keep them from being shot for a few seconds, too. Marcus turned and ran up the reactor wall then back-flipped behind Matthews. As Matthews looked up, Nathan nearly cut him in half then stabbed straight back to catch Connors in the stomach. Nathan then turned his sword ninety degrees and slashed sideways to rip out Connors' intestines. Messy, but effective. Two down. Both turned to Rodriguez who had his hands in the air.

"Stop right there!" a voice from the lookout post near the top of the gate called out. "We'll kill you before you can get to him!" Looking up, Marcus saw there were at least a dozen automatic weapons trained on them.

Standing up straighter, Marcus turned slowly to Nathan. "Remember Bilson's earlier advice?" Nathan smirked. "Now!" and the two First Class Soldiers ran for the jungle, precog at full alert, dodging the surprised hale of bullets streaking about them.

Cccccccccccccccc

Tessa stopped listening to the voices that were always there in her subconscious. They were often louder when she slept deeply. She had been listening to a voice droning on about the synthesis of nanotube carbon fibers – an old professor from her university days. Before that a brew master had described the production of single malt scotches and be-cried the tendency of some people to blend them together. Before that she had made another review of her husband's genetic code with its quintuplets. Now, however, a _feeling_ was intruding, nudging out the voices. Tessa turned her attention away from the voices to the feeling—curiosity. A few small sparks of light were flitting about her. The feeling nudged her again. Curiosity. Something was curious about her.

"What? Who are you?"

Curiosity came again, and liking? The second feeling pushed in beside the first. It almost felt like a smile. Hm. Tessa smiled back. Then a third feeling… happiness… even love. More sparks flitted around Tessa. The sparks were more like butterflies than fire blown on the wind.

"Hello, there." She added affection to her mental voice. Tessa wondered briefly if this was what it was like for Sephiroth and Vincent in their mental conversations. The feelings she got back were warm, smiling, reaching for her. "Who are you?"

Uncertainty tinged the response.

"Where are you?"

Only the feelings of "here," "near," and reaching came through. A face—no _two_ small faces—wavered before her eyes, dreamlike, one less substantial than the other—fine silver hair lofted above the foreheads of tiny, feminine faces. The sparks dripped off the ends of the hair. Tessa smiled and raised her hands toward the faces. She knew who they were. "Welcome."

The faces paused, studying her, then tentatively the corners of their mouths tilted upward, as if just learning how to smile. The faces' eyes were jade and cat-slitted, huge and unblinking.

Tessa raised a hand to touch the less substantial face, the spirit of the daughter they had lost, "Angel," and knew that Angel would always be part of her twin. Next she reached out to touch the more substantial face, "Lucrecia." She wrapped her dream arms around the two—faces had been joined by necks, shoulders, and bodies—and Tessa drew them to her. "I'm your mother, and I love you very much."

Tessa pictured her husband for the girls, striding toward them, his hair swaying behind him, also dripping sparks. She gave them her feelings for their father, "you look so much like him! I knew you would." Then she pictured for them other people who would be in their lives, Zack and Vincent, both of whom she was sure would do anything for them. Tiny sparks swirled from the girls toward the images Tessa made for them—the girls were reaching for these people as well. Tessa was surprised. She made a mental note to ask the men later if they had seen tiny faces in their dreams as well. "Time to sleep now, girls. Good night." The twins yawned and reached arms around each other. Tessa didn't care if this _was_ just a dream—she drew the girls to her, nuzzling her cheek on the back of Lucy's head. "Only three and a half more months, and this will be real…"

**A/N—Angeal Valentine was unhappy with me when she learned that Londo Shinra might be the father of Gillian Hewley in my story. That would make Rufus Shinra the step-uncle of Angeal Hewley—she insisted that was just too weird, too far a stretch from canon—but it seemed right to me. After all, this is fanfiction—there's not much fanfiction to be written if you stick strictly to canon, and I'm already a long way from canon.**


	9. Engagement in Wutai

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine (the author formerly known as xXxValentinexXx), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Another early posting!! Angeal Valentine and I are going to be out of town for several days, and this chapter was ready, so here it is! In the story time line, it's now 4:00 pm in Wutai. That's midnight in Midgar.**

The children of Wutai looked up at the televisions across the country. Blaring trumpets proclaimed an imperial announcement. Trumpets usually heralded the emperor's birthday celebration and fireworks displays. Those were fun. The emperor certainly appeared on the screen; however, he looked very serious and started talking. The children went back to their toys.

Across Wutai, children looked away, but adults were mesmerized. Standing to the right and left of Emperor Godo were his daughter, Yuffie, and a brown-haired man with Soldier-shine in his eyes. Looking directly at the camera, the emperor read a prepared statement:

"Citizens of Wutai—in recent meetings with Shinra, the head of Shinra denied me the right to proclaim my daughter, Princess Yuffie Kisaragi and he brought her hand to his lips and smiled at her gently, as Crown Princess of Wutai. I, Emperor Godo Kisaragi of Wutai, hereby proclaim that my daughter, Princess Yuffie Kisaragi, _is_ the _undoubted_ and _sole_ heir to the throne of Wutai and was _created_ such by me and High Priest Dong nine days ago. All other claims to the throne I hereby declare to be null and void.

My beloved people, you and I both know that Shinra has trampled the rights of the Wutainese people since the war. Wutai will _fight_ for its independence against _Shinra_, against _Soldier_, against the _Turks_, and against _all the forces of Gaia, if need be_!

We have been preparing for this day in secret for a long time. Now is the time for our forces to get to their units and for our non-combatants to make their way to their shelters. Our attack on the Shinra base near the palace is beginning even as I speak, but very soon we _will_ be attacked by Soldier and the troops of Shinra. May the gods protect us all.

Now however Godo paused and smiled slightly, I do have a _happy_ announcement to make – there is an engagement in the imperial family. Today I have granted the hand of my daughter, _Crown Princess_ Yuffie Kisaragi, the undisputed heir of Wutai, to this man, the _former_ Soldier, Genesis Rhapsodos. In the event of my demise, my beloved Yuffie and Genesis Rhapsodos will rule Wutai jointly. The Crown Princess's children will be the sole heirs to the throne of Wutai after her. _Lord General _Genesis Rhapsodos will help lead Wutai in our upcoming fight.

So for the struggle to come, I offer my prayers for the futures of _their_ _highnesses_, of you all, and of Wutai.

Victory."

With that Godo stepped back behind the couple, gathered all their hands between his own, and raised them together toward the camera. The adults in the audience looked at each other, some with anticipation, some with dread, and some with tears in their eyes. The war had returned.

Cccccccccccccc

Yuffie had known of the engagement for exactly one hour before it became common knowledge in Wutai. Her father, with Genesis Rhapsodos beside him, had approached her, announced that she was now engaged to the man, and that the wedding would be soon—certainly before she left for her unit. Genesis had taken her hands in his, kissed her softly on the cheek, then slipped a large diamond ring (with materia orbs on each side of the diamond she noted) on her finger. She was sure she hadn't agreed to this marriage, although she would certainly do as her father wanted. In the time since her proclamation ceremony she had met Genesis Rhapsodos again exactly once, briefly, between his meetings with her father. Neither her father nor Rhapsodos had given her any indication that an engagement was in their plans. As soon as the broadcast lights on the television cameras went out, Yuffie looked angrily at her father.

"Why?!"

Emperor Godo sighed and looked rather sadly at his daughter. Genesis had turned away with a half-smile (or was it a smirk?, she wondered). "Because you are _just_ fourteen years old and have no experience whatsoever in governance or command. You will be joining your unit at Tamblin fortress shortly just like every other young Wutainese in the country is joining their units, and you will gain some experience. However, if anything _were_ to happen to me, could you really lead the country in a rebellion?"

"If anything were to happen to you, Father, I would _have_ to lead the country. There would be no other way, would there? Whether I lead Wutai's rebellion well or badly, all the decisions would be mine."

"Yes, I suppose that's true…"

"Do you really trust him? He's a former _Soldier_! What if I were to _have_ a baby, say in the next year. He could murder me and you _and_ rule in the child's name for years. It's been known to happen in Wutai, after all. Do you really want that?"

"Even if that were to happen, a child of our blood would be on the throne, and Genesis would continue the fight. Isn't that what's important, after all?"

"Hm." Yuffie looked stunned, then a little thoughtful.

"There are _other_ reasons for this marriage, of course. We do need _allies_ in this rebellion. It seems that Wutai is not the only restive region on the planet at this time. _Lord General_ Rhapsodos will be coordinating those efforts around Gaia… Then too there is one _other_ claimant to the throne of Wutai. Your cousin, former-General Shion Kisaragi, is still very much alive—a fact I cannot deny no matter how many times I revoke his rights to the throne. Until he is dead, _your_ throne will never be secure."

Ccccccccccccccccc

At Wutai Base the attack was underway.

Col. Carlos Griegos was angry. Outlying censor positions, miles out from the base, had been disabled by Wutainese spies. For years Heidegger's public security people had assured Soldier command that the cameras and censors were impregnable to attack. Only in the last two weeks had Turk Commander Tseng, in his newly elevated capacity as head of planet-wide security, issued orders for upgrades to the systems. New parts had arrived the day before and were waiting in their shipping crates for installation. Overhead rockets were screeching across the sky hitting buildings across the base, keeping his people from counterattacking. Griegos' hands itched to hold his sword. Already half the base was on fire, although he had lost few military personnel so far—unfortunately that would change. He might have to evacuate the base, the largest on Gaia, and he would have to report it directly to General Sephiroth.

"Colonel, we've got Midgar on the line. It's 2:00 am there," the army sergeant turned and handed him a headset. Griegos stepped away from the sergeant and into a small, sound-proofed booth, away from prying ears and eyes. The glowering General appeared on a screen that Griegos knew was near his office in Midgar. Griegos cringed slightly at the memory of that look from the earlier war.

"Colonel, what's your situation?"

"General, we have been under continuous rocket attack for the past two hours—already half the base is on fire—although casualties have been relatively light… I request permission to counterattack using the emergency tunnels. We've pinpointed three locations from which these rocket attacks are being launched. I believe we can secure our position here at the base within the next forty-eight hours."

"You have the coordinates of the launch sites? Transmit them."

Griegos caught the eye of the sergeant and signaled to send the already waiting message. In Midgar Sephiroth looked intently at the locations but then leaned away from the screen to allow another man to also read the numbers. Tseng looked at the locations then at Sephiroth and shook his head slightly. The General nodded. He agreed with Tseng.

"No good, Colonel. Each of these areas is a baited trap. I want you to send a force out via the tunnels and head for the imperial palace. I want you to take _Godo_ and his daughter prisoner, alive if at all possible. The Wutainese may know of the existence of the tunnels (he looked at Tseng and he nodded. Sephiroth frowned.), and they may know where they come out (again he looked at Tseng who shrugged, 'maybe.'). Be prepared for a fight when you emerge. Until you counterattack, keep your people underground. Hold the base if at all possible. They will be attacking you on the ground after they've softened you up for a while. If you find you _have_ to evacuate the base, you have permission to do so, but _only_ as a last resort. Relief is on the way."

"Yes, sir. Understood… Speaking of Godo, I believe you'll want to see this, sir." Griegos again looked at his sergeant and this time raised two fingers for his second message. The colonel watched the faces of the two men in Midgar intently as they watched Godo's defiant earlier proclamation. Sephiroth's face had become thunderous at the site of Genesis Rhapsodos. A glint of humor appeared at the mention of the engagement. Poor girl. She wouldn't survive long with Genesis as her husband—what was Godo thinking? Sephiroth doubted whether Genesis could even father children (smirk). Tseng, on the other hand, stepped back from the screen, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Godo's desperate, but Genesis is certainly getting around these days. First Banora and now Wutai." Sephiroth looked a question at Tseng.

"Hm? Oh yes, he is… I rather expect this is not the last we'll hear of Rhapsodos. In fact, I suspect he's the architect of our problems right now. I have to believe Godo didn't come up with this rebellion all on his own."

"All right. That's all, Carlos. Make contact again in two hours and every two hours on the hour after that."

"Yes, sir. Wutai Base out."

As the screen blanked, Sephiroth looked at Tseng. "Spill. Something else is wrong with that speech." Tseng had again been looking thoughtful.

"Yes... Did you catch the part about declaring all other claims to the throne 'null and void'?"

"I wondered about that when he said it. I thought Princess Yuffie _was_ the only heir to the throne."

"She is now. Godo just _disowned_ the last Kisaragi cousin." Tseng laughed grimly and cut his eyes at his friend. "Me."

Ccccccccccccccccc

"… and what was that about an _engagement_?!" Dr. Vester Hollander frowned at his erstwhile captor/cohort_, Lord General_ Rhapsodos.

"It's her father's idea. We'll have to play it by ear. For _now_ she and I are engaged… Strange bedfellows, as it were. I'm not sure she even likes me." Hollander turned away, continuing to frown at the genetic possibilities inherent in this news. Genesis' PHS beeped at him. Reading the message, his brain began planning feverishly. He rechecked the time stamp and calculated Midgar time—one day gone already.

"Hollander, look at this!" Genesis Rhapsodos held his PHS before the scientist's face.

"Oh..." he took the phone from the ex-Soldier. "Gracious… Dr. Romera, what _have _you done to yourself?"

"_We need that baby_… Do you remember the layout of the Shinra labs, my friend? Even with Hojo's room modifications, could we get her out of there?"

Hollander nodded and his eyes narrowed, his earlier consternation gone. "There's only one room in those labs that had the power and plumbing lines necessary for tubes, so, yes, I know _exactly_ where she'll be. The crawl spaces into that area are over-large and would certainly support external penetration for a raid… The entrance to that ductwork will almost certainly be guarded, though I know where it comes out."

"Draw the layout for me. I'm sending some of our people to get those Jenova cells."

"Who?"

"Argento."

Hollander snorted at Genesis. "Argento?! She'll have your head when she hears about the princess." He even smirked and mumbled, "cut you a new asshole, too."

"_I'll_ handle Argento _and_ the princess. Just help me get that baby!"

"_All right_," Hollander sighed resignedly. "The team will need to take a flex-tube with them _and_ have a great deal of mako solution and anesthetic on hand for the transport."

"Yes, I figured as much. It will take time to penetrate the outer perimeter of Shinra—a day or two perhaps… Draw up the way to that lab for me as best you can remember it, Vester. I'm giving orders for our people to start tonight. We've _done_ what we came to Wutai to do."

"What about your _bride-to-be_? Aren't you supposed to be getting _married_ shortly? What will her father say?"

"I doubt the princess will be too upset. I'll tell Godo we'll have to postpone the wedding—perhaps a week—but for now, it's time to get back to Banora and the labs, Dr. Hollander."


	10. General Dilemma

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine (the author formerly known as xXxValentinexXx), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Warning, yaoi lemon ahead. I've indicated where it starts and stops so you can skip it if you want.**

**My thanks to Angeal Valentine for the title of this chapter. All I could think of was "waiting."**

**From the reviews people were surprised that Yuffie didn't immediately get upset at Godo when he told her of the engagement to Genesis. I was frankly more concerned with Godo's timing than anything. He wanted to make a public statement about the engagement, so he told her before the broadcast. That way she could smile and nod appropriately on air. I felt that her waiting until after the broadcast to question her father was more appropriate to someone who has grown up in the public eye and gained poise under those circumstances. After all, they had things to do before the broadcast—like makeup and Godo had to go over his speech a few more times—Godo, I think, just scampered away to avoid her reaction. I do acknowledge that, when Yuffie did question Godo, her question to him should probably have been less "Why?" and more "WHY?!"**

**FYI—One of the first scenes I wrote for Part 2 was the wedding of Yuffie and Genesis. In that version Yuffie didn't learn of the engagement until the afternoon of the wedding—talk about your father springing something on you, rather like her heirship proclamation, middle of the night sort of stuff.**

Sephiroth looked at the clock on the wall of his near-empty command center—5:00 am, Midgar time. Next he checked the other clocks on the wall and made mental notes as to conditions around the world: 7:00 am in Mideel (no word yet from Tseng about those idiots in Banora); 4:00 am in Junon (better let Gavin McIntyre sleep for a few more hours—Sephiroth smirked—Gavin was _not_ a morning person); 1:00 am in Gongaga and Reactor 20 (no word from Marcus and Nathan since yesterday afternoon—Alars and Britton wouldn't be there until mid-day), same in Corel (Sam Kuhn knew he was moving to Wutai – he would certainly be up); midnight in Rocket Town (John Nichols would also be working); 9:00 pm in Wutai (five hours since Godo's rebellion and the attack on Wutai Base began—one more hour before Carlos Griegos' next status report).

And from across Gaia reports of berserk monsters attacking every reactor on both the eastern and western continents were flooding in. "_Of course_… and just how did you pull _that_ one off, Genesis?" Sephiroth thought to himself. Every base was now being stressed. In addition to fighting monsters, all bases were being required to contribute troops to the invasion of Wutai. While contingency plans had been in place for years for an invasion to put down a rebellion, with the monster attacks thrown into the mix, most of the contingency plans had become so much worthless paper. At least equipment as in position in Rocket Town for transport to Wutai. All that was really needed was personnel. People were much easier to move than machinery.

Zack glanced at Sephiroth. In one way the action was good. It was forcing his friend to concentrate on work rather than on his wife and child. Between the monster attacks, the rebellion in Wutai, and Tessa's operation, Sephiroth hadn't slept for three days. When Zack had suggested Sephiroth go home for a quick nap, Sephiroth had almost taken his head off—verbally, not literally, thankfully. Zack rather suspected Sephiroth didn't want to go home to the empty apartment, not without Tessa. What he said was that he had to stay close to the command center. Logical, Zack granted him, but he noted his friend was paler and more tense than he'd seen him since before he married Tess—more like when Hojo was still alive.

Sephiroth looked down from the line of clocks to the huge world map that covered the rest of the wall. He stretched his left hand along the line from Corel to Rocket Town to Wutai City. "Zack, I want to move as much of Sam Kuhn's command from Corel as possible to join the invasion force at Rocket Town. He'll have overall command there. John Nichols at Rocket Town won't like it, but he can take it up with me if he wants to. I also want to move half of Bill Wallace's people from Gold Saucer to Rocket Town. Bill's going to have to cover the attacks on the Corel reactor, too. I need Sam organizing the invasion forces. What kind of numbers would that give us then?"

Zack made quick notations on the clipboard he was holding. "That's about 40,000 fighting men with about a hundred Soldiers all told. Support troops for about another 10k. How's that sound?"

"About what I thought. What do we have available for air transport between Rocket Town and Wutai City?" While the capital of Wutai wasn't actually a "city" at all, Sephiroth always thought of the palace and surrounding area as "Wutai City."

Zack shook his head. "We're thin. We'll have to divert commercial airships, I'm afraid. You may have to take it up with Mr. Shinra to get your transports."

"Since when is it '_Mr._ Shinra'?" Sephiroth glanced at his friend curiously.

"Since _you_ became an executive." Zack chuckled. He understood Sephiroth's question. He'd never thought he could become so invested in the future of the company. "How about Col. McIntyre? He'll want to go to Wutai."

"I know, but I need him to coordinate the fight against the monsters attacking the reactors on both continents. Besides you and I and most of the Midgar forces will be leaving soon for Wutai. When we go, I want Gavin in overall command here."

"I still can't believe you're going to Wutai." Sephiroth cut his eyes at his second and then walked brusquely away to look at a bank of monitors. Zack shook his head. "When will we leave?"

"Two days. Hopefully Tessa will be out of the tube then… Get my orders to Gold Saucer, Corel, and Rocket Town. Let them know they're moving."

"Yes, sir." Zack tried again. "Seph… I just want you to know… About Tess, I'm sorry."

Sephiroth stepped back to the maps again. Zack could see that his lips were pressed into a tight narrow line. "Zack. There's something I haven't told you… Remember when you said none of this was my fault? Well, you were wrong. Tess was carrying twins. One of the babies, a little girl, _didn't_ make it. She _became_ stagnant mako, and it's attacking Tessa and the other baby. I _am_ the cause of this. Without my actions, both babies would be alive, and Tessa wouldn't be in that tube."

Zack turned away. He felt as though Sephiroth had just punched him in the stomach. The clipboard fell to the floor with a crash. His hands briefly covered his eyes then ran grabbed his unruly hair. "Seph!" Zack turned back to his friend, tears in his eyes, his face scrunched. "I'm so _sorry_. I love her too, you know… How are you even _standing_ there?"

"We do what we have to do—just as she and I decided when she got in that tube." He looked at Zack menacingly. "So, for now, I'm going to take my anger out on Godo."

"Seph!" At the look of anguish on Zack's face, Sephiroth relented—being too hard again.

"Here. Here's something else I haven't told you about." Sephiroth carefully took a crumpled piece of paper from inside his coat, opened and held it before Zack's nose, and put his other arm around the younger man's shoulders. "It's an ultrasound picture of the baby. May be a girl or it may be a boy, can't really tell. The baby was jumping and tumbling and kicking, _alive_ inside Tessa. You should have seen it!" For the first time something approaching a smile crossed Sephiroth's face. "Has something like a 280 mako level already."

Zack laughed, smiling now too, but shook his head. "How are you going to discipline a child like that? Keep it from doing _whatever_ it wants, _when_ it wants?"

"I don't know, but I'm looking forward to finding out."

Zack raised his head to look at Sephiroth and realized he was in the man's arms. Zack considered this man he loved—looked deeply into his eyes—and marveled at how strong he was. Somehow Sephiroth would manage to make everything work out—the war, the monster attacks, and his wife and child. Their heads bent together, and they moved their mouths against each other, both opening for the other, holding each other tight. Each could feel his member hardening through their clothes, bumping toward the other.

"Seph. My place… Please."

"Yeah… for a little while…"

Ccccccccccccccc

Zack unlocked the door to his apartment, dropped the sheaf of papers he'd carried with him onto a nearby chair, and stepped away to leave room for Sephiroth. Sephiroth entered, locked the door behind him, then removed his boots and coat. Both had turned down their PHSs. Sephiroth had left strict instructions with Sylvia, now on the "early shift," that she was to use his emergency ring code only if something happened to Tessa. Zack had issued "heads-up" versions of the transfer orders to Corel, Gold Saucer, and Rocket Town before the two had left. Carlos Griegos' 6:00 am report from Wutai primarily concerned details of his upcoming breakout attack—essentially no new developments.

"Seph, I know it's early, or even really late, but do you want a drink?"

"Yes. Whatever you've got." Zack smiled. He still had some of that twelve year old scotch in his liquor cabinet. He took out glasses and poured the scotch.

"Here."

Sephiroth took a sip and felt the burn down his throat. "Good stuff. Thanks."

"Yeah." Zack took a drink of his scotch.

Sephiroth glanced around the apartment—it took a determined effort on his part _not_ to notice Zack's mess. Zack's Buster Sword occupied the couch. Sephiroth set the glass down on the coffee table and approached the sword. "May I?"

Zack had been taking his boots off and looked up surprised at Sephiroth's question. "Sure."

Sephiroth hefted the big sword easily, examining closely the wide blade, its intricate base, and its materia slots. "I remember when I first saw this. It was soon after we all made Third Class. Angeal's father brought it for him then." Sephiroth paused. "Remember how Genesis was forever calling me 'old lady' and 'granny'? 'Even if the morrow is barren of promises… _nothing shall foretell my return_.' Loveless, Act 3. Genesis quoted it _all_ the time. Remember?"

"Sure, I remember. I was just a new cadet then. I joined Soldier after Angeal rescued me from a dragon. He didn't use the Buster Sword very often, said it was a family heirloom, but I like it."

Sephiroth turned to look closely at Zack. He hadn't heard Zack mention Angeal's name since Zack had been forced to kill their friend. He set the sword back on its home couch and picked up his glass. "To absent friends…" Sephiroth raised his glass.

"To absent friends…" Zack responded with the Soldier toast. Both drank down the rest of the scotch, set their glasses aside, then moved into the other's embrace.

"Thanks, Zack." Sephiroth stroked the younger man's unruly black hair.

"For what?"

"For being here… and taking care of me." Sephiroth kissed him on the temple and then continued his strokes down Zack's back.

Cccccccclemonccccccccc

"No problem. It's probably what I do best." Zack smiled, tilted his head, and closed his eyes, Sephiroth meeting him mouth to mouth. Their breathing became harsher, mouths opened, and tongues played along their lengths. Zack moved forward and stuck his tongue into the back of Sephiroth's mouth, pulling it back forward along the roof of his mouth. Sephiroth smiled. Zack moved his hands to the clasp of Sephiroth's kisori, opened it, pushed the crossed straps aside baring Sephiroth's chest, and kissed and licked the pale skin, working his way down, stroking with his hands. Sephiroth worked his fingers to the webbing into Zack's hair, rubbing his scalp. Zack had never undressed him before, not like this. "It's been a while, Seph. Hope you don't mind…"

"Not at all. Keep going."

"Yeah." Zack traced the outlines of Sephiroth's chest muscles with his fingertips then his lips, slipped his fingers inside the man's waistband, delineated the muscles, then undid his fly. The tip of Sephiroth's erection snuck out, leaking a drop of semen at its tip. Zack pushed the leather pants from Sephiroth's hips slowly keeping his little fingers on the waistband and his larger fingers and thumbs pressed against Sephiroth's thighs and calves. He held down the pants for Sephiroth to step away from his clothes. Zack wrapped one hand around Sephiroth's rod and placed the other on the small of Sephiroth's back working a slow, steady rhythm.

Sephiroth turned his head to lick up the side of Zack's neck, gently wrapping his arms around his lover and nibbling his ear lobe. "Now you," he breathed into Zack's ear. Zack stepped back but continued the slow rhythm on Sephiroth's rod. Sephiroth opened the kisori clasp, pushed the vertical straps from Zack's shoulders, then pushed the leather guard down over Zack's narrow hips. Next he pulled Zack's First Class turtleneck free from his pants then over his head. Zack's hands were becoming more urgent. "Hell with it." Sephiroth pushed the backs of his hands into Zack's pants and forced them outwards, ripping them apart and off Zachary's body.

"Oh yeah, Seph." Both members were now free and hard. Both men stroked the other in rhythm. Sephiroth gathered Zack to him, lifted him under his buttocks, and slammed Zack against the wall of the apartment, their erections now jabbing into the other's stomachs. "Come on, Seph, come on!"

"Wrap your legs around me… Is your bedroom back through there?" Sephiroth jerked his head in the direction of the hallway. Zack nibbled on Sephiroth's earlobe and nodded. Sephiroth backed away from the wall holding Zack close and headed down the hall. He spotted the lube on Zack's night stand. "Grab that!" Sephiroth held Zack against the empty wall.

Zack laughed. "Sure." Zack, with his hands free, managed to lube both their rods. Sephiroth lifted Zack then maneuvered his rod until his tip was against Zack's opening and began working his way in. "Come on, Seph, come on!" Zack gritted his teeth. "Come on, Seph!" Sephiroth grabbed Zack's hips and forced him down in rhythm on his rod, with his full stroke. Sephiroth felt the eruption begin in his toes, explode up his legs, and finally through his rod into Zack.

"Sorry, Zack."

"Don't be! I want _you_, Seph!"

Sephiroth felt himself slacken inside Zack, lifted him off, eased Zack down the wall, then reached for a wipe for clean up. Zack sought his mouth and stroked with his tongue. "I want you now, Seph."

Sephiroth nodded his agreement, but, "let's get to the bed." Once there, Zack guided Sephiroth into the position he preferred—onto his knees. Zack opened the bottle of lube and prepared Sephiroth for entry. Gathering Sephiroth's hair Zack laid it out lengthwise down his back and put his own chest in the soft hair—he loved the feel of Sephiroth's hair and muscles under his hands and lips. Zack reached around to hold Sephiroth's reviving member in his hand, then placed his own rod at Sephiroth's opening. Zack worked at his slightly faster pace, climaxing quickly with a yell.

"Over, Zachary."

"Yes, sir." Zack sighed as Sephiroth took him again, even harder this time as Zack was face down on the mattress.

cccccccclemonendcccccccc

Sephiroth rolled off Zack, gently considering the last few minutes, arranged him to lie with his head on Sephiroth's shoulder, and spread his soft hair over both of them. "Thank you, Zack."

"Hm. Anytime…"

"Oh, and leave the lights on. I tend to kill things when I wake up in dark, unfamiliar places."

"Right."

Cccccccccccccc

"Lucy has an appointment at the pediatrician's today. Are you free to come along?" Tessa was aiming a tiny rubber-coated spoon with a bit of apple sauce toward the baby's mouth. Six-month-old Lucrecia Valentine sat in her high chair between the couple at the breakfast table.

Sephiroth tilted his head toward the child who reached her hand toward a lock of his hair that had fallen forward. Her movement resulted in more apple sauce being on her face rather than in her mouth. That the child was his was apparent in the lines of her face, the slits of her pupils, the jade green of her eyes (complete with mako shine), right down to the silver, almost tubular strands of her hair, and especially in the perfectly pointy bangs above her forehead. Only waves in her hair showed Tessa's genetics.

Sephiroth glanced at his wife. Tessa was a bit annoyed at the baby's distraction and the mess. Better change the subject, "What time?"

"3:00 this afternoon. Okay?"

"That'll work. I'll meet you here at 2:30."

"Great… Now, miss. Let's get you cleaned up…"

Ccccccccccccccc

Tessa leaned over the forward-lying, front passenger seat and strapped the baby into her car seat in the back seat of Sephiroth's little black sports car then settled herself next to Sephiroth. "All set."

Sephiroth started the engine, "What do you think she'll weigh today?"

"I'd guess between eight and a half and nine pounds. She's growing fast. She seems to be right on track with your growth chart. At least Hojo's records are good for something… You know. We might want to think about getting a bigger car. It's really inconvenient putting her in her car seat back there—hard on my back too."

"Well, the company supplies executives with cars. You're deserving of a separate automobile. I'll bring it up with Rufus if you want."

"Yes. That'd be great."

They pulled into the parking lot of the doctor's office and immediately found a parking place. Sephiroth helped Tessa out of the car. "Here hold these." She handed him the pink diaper bag with the yellow chocobos and her purse then reached into the back of the car to deal with the car seat and the extraction of the child.

Sephiroth shook his head slightly, "Here I am, the conqueror of Wutai, the great hero of Shinra, holding the diaper bag. Glad no one's around to put a picture of _this_ on a poster."

Tessa's shining eyes danced. "Did you just make a joke?" and she laughed aloud at Sephiroth's slightly startled expression. Tessa wrapped a blanket up over the child's head, "and to think _you_ wanted children. Diaper bags and grabbing babies," and she tilted her head back to move her hair out of the child's reach, "are part of the deal."

"Yes. I clearly didn't know what I was getting into… Ready?"

Tessa smiled, "let's go."

Ccccccccccccc

Inside the examining room, Tessa sat on the table holding the baby while Sephiroth leaned against an empty wall. With a knock, the doctor entered the room.

Tessa set the baby on the table and walked to the doctor's far side, away from Sephiroth. With a start Sephiroth realized Tessa was naked and was backing away from him toward a tube on the far wall, looking very sad. "We do what we have to do."

A claw-like hand was moving the baby's blanket away from her body as Lucy kicked and cooed. The doctor turned his head to look sidelong at Sephiroth and grinned evilly. It was then that Sephiroth realized the man's hair was greasy, grizzled black, and gathered in a long tail down his back. A nasal voice echoed in the room, "finally, a viable clone."

"HOJO!!" No sword! I'll kill him with my bare hands—strangle him, rip his head from his neck, reach into his abdomen and pull out his intestines, break his spine over my knee... But Hojo was holding the baby in his arms and backing away toward another tube on the far wall. Sephiroth took one very slow step, like moving through mud, reaching for the madman. Tessa was already in the first tube, and it was filling fast with mako solution. Hojo set the baby on the platform of the second tube, the glass lowered, and solution began to flow. Sephiroth managed another step, "TESSA! LUCRECIA! NO!! _HOJO, YOU'RE DEAD!!_ I'LL KILL YOU AGAIN!!"

The scientist shook his head. "No. Not when I've just achieved my greatest triumph."

Lucy floated upward in the tube, grew before his eyes, her arms stretched, tentacle-like appendages sprouted from her body, and then stubby red wings burst from her shoulders. Her skin turned pale blue. She broke from the tube launching at Sephiroth lightning-fast, claws extended to rip his face. Sephiroth slowly raised his hands in a defensive stance. "Not Jenova. NO!!" He reached for the monster's throat with his left hand and brought up his right to grab the creature's arm intending to twist and smash Jenova to the floor. Suddenly Sephiroth felt his body wrapped by the slimy tentacles in at least a half-dozen places, including his throat. Jenova was trying to strangle him! He couldn't break the grip, nor tilt his head to get air into his lungs. Lights were popping before his eyes. Suddenly two tiny faces appeared in those bursting lights. One face held his eyes, while the other frowned at Jenova. Jenova shimmered and faded away. The room was empty. "Who are you?" The faces looked at him, tentatively smiled, then were gone.

Cccccccccccccccccc

"SEPH!" Sephiroth felt himself being shaken by the shoulders. "SEPH, _WAKE UP_!" He was breathing hard as if he'd run twenty miles in combat gear. Sweat covered his skin. He almost never sweat. When he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting upright in Zack's bed, Zack's hands were holding his upper arms.

"Zack?" Sephiroth said in a small voice. "Zack, please tell me I was dreaming."

"Well, I'd call it 'having a nightmare,' but whatever it was, you've been fighting me for about five minutes… What were you dreaming about anyway?"

"Never mind. What time is it? Let's shower. We've got to get back to the command center."

"O-kay… It's about 7:00. You want some breakfast?"

"NO!" Sephiroth looked at his friend aghast. Take it easy. Breathe. It's not Zack's fault. "Let's go."

**A/N—If someone tells me it isn't possible for guys to have sex in that position, I'll have to believe you (it wasn't something I wanted to explore the internet to find out!). No matter how many times I tried to get them to the bed though, they wouldn't get there! AREN'T I IN CHARGE ANYMORE?!**


	11. Remembrance

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine (the author formerly known as xXxValentinexXx), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Most of this chapter is the gift of Angeal Valentine—the lady who understands Vincent Valentine so well. Chronologically it runs simultaneously with the previous chapter. It's 6:00 am in Midgar, the third day of Tessa's confinement in a tube. **

Vincent stood at the door for a moment, his gloved fingers silently tracing the woodwork. It was an all too familiar door, though its frame had changed, for some reason this door had stayed. This was the same door that had once separated him from the commander when he had first joined the Turks—the same door behind which his life had changed for what had seemed like the better. Everything had happened behind this door. Back then, Commander Elizabeth's demeanor had kept everyone working in top form while making sure no one became disturbed. He snorted slightly—had he ever not been disturbed? His therapists would disagree, though Lucrecia and his brothers would probably beg to differ. "I'm sorry… I still don't know what you want me to do… "

_**Sentimental again, Vinny? **_Chaos asked from the back of his mind. _**Once a sentimental romantic—always a sentimental romantic, but I suppose that's part of your charm.**_

Vincent hoped Sephiroth wasn't listening in on this conversation, _I'm surprised you're awake. What are you up to?_

_**Ah, nothing that should concern you. I just felt like a friendly little chat with my Vinny, **_Chaos casually commented. _**Now I believe you were about to go inside?**_

Vincent sighed. Derek, the forever Turk secretary, wasn't in yet. Vincent pulled open the door, silently slipping in, his metal boots ghosting over the floor, not creating even the slightest sound. _Since when am I your Vinny?_

"Valentine, you do realize you don't have to sneak around my office to get my attention," Tseng calmly addressed him from where his chair was pivoted to gaze out the window.

Vincent stopped for a minute contemplating this—he'd always been quiet. Even as a child, he had possessed the ability to be completely silent, but he found it mildly irritating that Tseng had called it 'sneaking.' 'Sneaking' implied ill intentions. He much preferred the phrase, 'moving without the intention of being noticed in a conspicuous manner.' He walked over to Tseng's desk before replying, "I was not sneaking."

"You were sneaking. It is Turk instinct to sneak," Tseng contrasted casually. Vincent sighed sitting down, watching Tseng push some papers into a file. Tseng raised an eyebrow at Vincent's observation of him. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing…" Vincent replied quietly shifting his gaze to the window.

"Would you like some tea?" Tseng offered as he walked over to a small pot of hot water.

Vincent pondered the offer. He was a bit thirsty, and Tseng wouldn't poison him, at least not during this visit. "Sounds good."

Tseng poured a pair of cups, and returned to the desk. He set one ceramic cup in front of Vincent, and the other he kept in his hand. Vincent examined the cup for a moment—no sign of poison from what he could detect. He gingerly picked up the cup. He took a sip. The tea was light with a pleasantly sweet after taste. "What flavor is this?" He asked the Turk.

"Licorice root," Tseng replied before taking another sip. "You seem troubled, Valentine."

"I am not," Vincent muttered after he finished swallowing his mouthful of tea.

Tseng smiled slightly, "you should know lying to a Turk doesn't work." Vincent glared silently at Tseng, "well since you don't seem to be in a talkative mood, how about a game first?" He sat down across from Vincent. Bending down he retrieved a box and soon unfolded a large 19 by 19 grid board. Tseng set a bowl by his tea then set a matching bowl by Vincent's cup. "Have you ever played Go?"

Vincent nodded slowly. He'd had the game beaten into him when he was young. "Yes… It was a long time ago…"

"So then, handicap or no?"

"I think I will adjust to it," Vincent nodded removing the lid and breathed slightly. Tseng had given him white.

"Well then," Tseng removed the lid from his own bowl. The men bowed to each other. Vincent finished his tea and set the cup down as Tseng put one of his black stones on one of the large black dots near the right corner on his side. Vincent studied this move and placed his white stone on the next large black dot over. These were the star points, and as a general strategy rule they were good places to have under control.

To both men the play felt more like a sword fight than a game. Every time Tseng would make a move, Vincent would counter or block. When one side of the board became impassable, Tseng moved to the other side, and they continued on and on dueling in silence until, "How is Verdot?" Vincent asked spontaneously as he played a stone in the left corner nearest himself.

"Well, that was a surprise. I thought it would take me at least three games to get you to talk," Tseng commented as he played another black stone next to Vincent's white one. "As to Verdot…"

Vincent sighed quietly. He should be the last to forget the mortality of humans. Verdot had been the same age as Vincent. "I see… then… where may I find his grave?"

Tseng glanced up at Vincent for a moment, surprised. "He's not dead, you know, though everyone believes I killed him."

"Oh…" Vincent felt a wave of relief wash over him as he placed another white stone on the board.

Tseng quirked an eyebrow. "What brought this on?"

"Well…" Vincent wondered how to explain it. He sat in pensive thought for a moment. "He was a friend… No, he was a brother."

"A brother," Tseng pondered this for a minute. Maybe it was time to open that door too. "What was he like when you knew him?"

Vincent let out a soft snort of laughter, "impulsive, reckless, stubborn, but just the person you trust with your back no matter what." Tseng felt a pang of some strange emotion—a combination of wanting to be terribly insulted that Vincent could ever call his mentor any of those things, but also wanting to laugh his head off at the thought of the most cool and collected man he had ever known being all of those things. "So then, I take it he matured?"

"It would seem so," Tseng replied shrugging slightly. Even though he knew Verdot was calm and composed, Verdot did have moments when he seemed completely immature. Not on the level of Reno, but enough to warrant Tseng's annoyance with his superior. "I remember when I was promoted, he put me in a-"

"Pink tulip tutu with a yellow daffodil bonnet and white knee-high stockings. He had you push a stroller around containing a doll," Vincent distinctly remembered that from his own brief time as the field commander of the Turks.

Tseng nodded, "yes, that was it exactly."

Vincent smirked slightly. It was an initiation that went back to the Turks' origins in organized crime. The lieutenant was required to don that costume upon his promotion. On that same note, "do they still require the tattoo?" Vincent inquired.

"No, however I remember Verdot once telling me of his," Tseng shook his head. "I assume you possess one?"

Vincent nodded and pulled back his left sleeve. On his arm Tseng could see, despite the scar tissue, the start of a two-headed dragon. The necks continued up Vincent's arm disappearing beneath his shirt. "The gang had the insignia of a dragon with two heads as their symbol among the underworld. However I think we were the last ones to get them. Madame Elizabeth didn't make the new recruits get them when she took over."

Tseng nodded watching Vincent gaze at the marking. It had a completely different value than the scars that marked his exposed skin. "You're being unusually open today, Valentine."

Vincent debated this for a moment. He had told Tseng things that he had never thought of telling Sephiroth. Then again Tseng had served under Verdot. After all, this was a matter only Turks would understand. "Maybe I am being open…" Tseng raised an eyebrow, and finally placed a black stone on the board after their long delay of game. Vincent placed one. "That's game. I win by five points."

Tseng's eyes scanned the board counting his liberties and tallying his points. The score did in fact show Vincent as winner by five points when the captured pieces were added back in. Tseng sighed running a hand over his slicked back hair. "Well, it would seem you've beaten me fair and square…"

Vincent nodded as he started to stand up. "I should go."

"If something is on your mind, you know where to find me," Tseng commented as he started to pick up the pieces.

Vincent gave a slight nod before turning to go. He almost floated back over to the door. Tseng glanced up as he left. "He's a strange one, but I can see why you thought him to be reliable."

Back in the hall Vincent stared out a window near a stairwell. Suddenly a voice seared like the brand of a hot iron across Vincent's mind. "TESSA! LUCRECIA! NO!! _HOJO, YOU'RE DEAD!!_ I'LL KILL YOU AGAIN!!"

"What the…?!" Vincent found he had run down ten flights of stairs before it registered that it was Sephiroth's mental screaming he was hearing. Then, just as abruptly as it started, the screaming stopped. Vincent came to a dead stop and put out tentative mental feelers in his son's direction but got no response. As he pondered looking at the stairwell wall, a bit of the air before him began to waver. Two tiny infant faces with Sephiroth's eyes and hair and Lucrecia's nose coalesced before him and smiled tentatively. Their hair dripped sparks like fireflies. Vincent's eyes widened, and he raised his right hand toward them—several of the sparks danced around his fingers then up his arm. Then standing behind the faces, a vague woman's shape with long brown hair in a pony tail at the top of her head wavered into view smiling gently at the faces. Her head rose, and she smiled sadly at him. "Lucrecia!" Vincent took a step toward her, and one of the infant faces smiled again as the images faded. Vincent sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands, careful not to give mental voice to his anguish. What he did not see, however, were the sparks that continued to dance around him for several more minutes.

**A/N—FYI—While very little seemed to happen in this chapter, two things happened that help to set the stage for future events. Besides Angeal Valentine's gift helped me rebuild my buffer. I had almost a month where I managed to write very little that I'm actually going to use, and I wasn't much ahead of my readers. Sometimes sitting at the computer is not worthwhile. Until next week…**


	12. Decisions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine (the author formerly known as xXxValentinexXx), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Things are happening all over Gaia, not completely simultaneously; therefore, I'm giving you the time in each location. This chapter has events in Wutai, Gongaga, and Midgar, and touches on events in Mideel and Rocket Town. It is Tessa's third day in the tube, and at the end of the chapter it's the fourth day. I'm giving you the time in each location first in parentheses at the beginning of each section with the time in other locations around Gaia also for reference. Angeal Valentine insists I'm the only one who cares what time it is on Gaia, but I can't help it. I guess I'm as obsessed with the time as I am with writing the story.**

(6 am Gongaga, 10 am Midgar, 12 noon Mideel)

Marcus looked skyward through the foliage hoping again to spot the incoming transport, even though he knew it was too early for its arrival by several hours—the sun had just come up. He and Nathan were covered head to toe in gooey mud. They lay hidden in some jungle undergrowth about ten miles out from the reactor whispering to each other. They had been dodging search parties of reactor personnel since the previous afternoon. Each had slept and guarded the other by turns. No help had been available via PHS – nothing but static had been heard on the phones. Marcus suspected that the reactor people had set up jamming equipment to block the signals. He and Nathan had moved in the direction of the likeliest approach to the reactor by the transport, hoping to visually signal the craft before it got within range of the jammers.

"But they're likely to spot us here, you know." Nathan had argued against the plan ever since Marcus had first mentioned it.

"You know I agree with you that the reactor people will expect us to move toward the transport, but I don't have any better idea as to how to warn it off. If you have one, go right ahead and say it…."

"Start a fire? Maybe we could get them to put down short of the reactor to investigate?"

"Actually we may have to try it. Don't know if much of this will burn though. It is a jungle after all." Marcus looked thoughtfully at his partner. "Did anything bother you about that fight back there yesterday? You remember how Carl _used_ to fight, don't you?"

"Yeah, and it has been bothering me. While it certainly was satisfying to kill Matthews, both he and Connors were moving a little too slowly for second classes. The whole fight was just a little _too_ easy… Maybe they haven't been getting sufficient mako? They certainly can't have been eating their Tessa Bars." Both men laughed softly.

"That fight was too easy—sorry to say since you took out two of them." Nathan shrugged, oh well. "There is one other possibility." Nathan raised an eyebrow at Marcus' words, though how Marcus could detect an eyebrow under all the mud that covered them, he wasn't sure. "Those three may have been clones. Genesis kidnapped Vester Hollander, and Hollander was a 'cloner' from day one."

"Hm. You could be right…" Nathan pondered the possibility. "Remind me. While clones often have some of the memories of the originals, there's always something wrong with them, right? Like lessened fighting skills?"

"Yeah, that's it. If the original is dead, the memories and skills tend to be closer to the original's. It's as if the Lifestream pushed more of the soul into the clone then. If the original is still alive, then not so much of the original's qualities go into the clone. At least, that's the theory as I understand it."

"So does that mean that the real Squad 13 members are still around somewhere?"

"Yeah. I think it does."

"Great. Just when I thought I'd gotten rid of Matthews for once and for all, I find out I may need to do it again… Then, on second thought, that might not be so bad…" Nathan flexed his fingers in anticipation.

Marcus laughed softly. It was just like Nathan to find the silver lining in any cloudy situation. Marcus rolled onto his back to look up at the jungle canopy. "Try the PHS again. Maybe we're out of jamming range."

Nathan pulled out his PHS and tried hailing Midgar HQ. He knew it was a long shot given the distance involved, but when a response came, it shocked him. "What the…?" Marcus glanced at his partner. "I got the 'emergency notification' signal!"

Marcus rolled onto his elbow to look at Nathan. "That means all unencoded frequencies are blocked, and only highly encoded communications are possible. We'll never reach headquarters given that situation."

Nathan gave Marcus a very worried look, "Something _bad_ is going down, Marcus."

"Yeah, it can _only_ mean that…" Marcus lay back down. "Hm… If Squad 13 has reappeared, then the odds are that Genesis has put in an appearance too. That would mean the General's got all Soldier on alert… We've _got_ to get back… monsters or no." Nathan nodded his agreement. "But there's no possibility of that until the transport gets here." Again Nathan nodded. "Let's try another tack… Remember those monsters? How could Squad 13 show up on the heels of the monsters if they weren't behind the attacks in the first place? We need to head back to the reactor and find out how they did that. Maybe even rescue Bilson and the others _before_ the transport comes—even take out the jammers."

"You're right… Our troops only went about a half mile from the reactor—tops—and no one reported anything. I'd guess if Squad 13 were somehow causing the monster incursions, they'd have to have done it somewhere outside that radius… probably along the outer road… Doubt they'd expect us to go that direction."

"Right. We head back…"

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(12 noon Midgar, 2 pm Mideel, 8 am Gongaga)

"That is incredible." Tseng narrowed his eyes peering at the man on the screen. Hutchins, the head of public security in Mideel, and an old associate of Heidegger's, had just told him he had no knowledge of two Turks in Mideel. "Mr. Hutchins, you are a habitual liar, and a pathetically _bad_ one at that."

Hutchins reminded Tseng of Heidegger—so many of Heidegger's old people did—not so much by their looks, but by the way they sweat under pressure. Hutchins was a flabby-faced, balding man. Tseng wanted to reach through the screen, take the man by the throat, and strangle him; indeed, cutting some of that flesh from under his chin might not be a bad idea. Tseng took out a knife and tested its edge against his thumb, drawing a thin line of blood for Hutchins to see.

"I specifically _ordered_ my people to report to you _personally_, and you received my orders to give them all the assistance they required in their investigation. I know that they met with you; therefore, someone in this conversation is lying. I suggest you start running now, because you're dead when we find you."

"You can't threaten me!" Hutchins' eyes actually bulged.

"I didn't threaten you. I predicted your future, and I can predict the future with 100 percent accuracy. After all," Tseng smirked evilly, "I am the _god_ of information." Hutchins' skin had turned pale then a putrid green. "Find my people. You have twenty-four hours, and they had better be alive and well." Tseng slapped the line closed. "Probably should have shot Heidegger when I had the chance. Now I have to clean house in the middle of a war."

Tseng opened his PHS. "Cissnei! Round up every available Turk. Include _everyone_ who can be spared. We are going to Mideel, and we are leaving ASAP. Tell Derek to pack all the heavy artillery." Tseng now turned to the man perched by his desk like a vulture, "Valentine, will you go to Banora? I could use all the help I can get."

"Rhapsodos will probably turn up in Banora sooner rather than later. Hutchins is probably protecting Banora—Londo Shinra's left over orders… I'll go."

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(1 pm Midgar, 3 pm Mideel, 9 am Gongaga)

"Let me see if I have this straight—Wutai is in rebellion because _I_ wouldn't allow Godo to declare Princess Yuffie the heir to the throne? _When did I do this?_ Did this happen at the last conference when I wasn't looking?" With the imminent removal of most of Soldier and the Turks from Midgar, Rufus Shinra had called his three remaining executives, Sephiroth, Tseng, and Reeve Tuesti, to a meeting in his office.

"You don't _remember_ doing that?" Tseng was incredulous, "I remember it quite clearly." Sephiroth nodded in agreement.

"_Of course_ she's the heir." Rufus said exasperated. "I just wanted Godo to understand that the role of the emperor of Wutai is strictly a ceremonial one. Did he misunderstand, or was there a mistranslation somewhere along the way?"

"Considering that he speaks perfectly acceptable Midgaran, I doubt that Godo misunderstood anything."

"Then what can I do remedy this situation?" Rufus twisted a lock of his hair about his finger. Tseng noted Rufus had acquired a new nervous gesture.

"Probably nothing. Godo has been seething for years over the treatment of Wutai by Shinra. Rhapsodos simply added fuel to the fire by showing up."

"Great… _Just great_… and now most of Soldier and most of the Turks are leaving. _Who_ is going to be in charge of security here in Midgar?" Rufus' eyes jumped to the window as if he could already hear the bullets and bombs screaming toward him.

Tseng noted, "I'll be leaving my assistant, Cissnei, in charge here while I go to Mideel."

"Col. Gavin McIntyre from Junon will be in charge here in Midgar while I'm in Wutai. He'll have command of all forces on both continents." Sephiroth stared at Rufus. Perhaps this news would help alleviate the man's panic.

"He's your true second in command, isn't he? And Zack Fair will be going with you?"

"Yes."

"I'm _not _enjoying this, you know. The stock price is down. Investors are selling in droves. Tuesti tells me mako and power production are nearly at a stand-still, planet-wide. Prices are rising." Reeve nodded in agreement. "When will McIntyre get here?"

"The day after tomorrow. I won't leave until after he arrives."

Rufus made a sudden decision. He looked at Tseng. _"I'm going with you."_

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Reeve Tuesti, who had remained silent during the meeting, followed Tseng to his office. "Since I don't have the option of going with you, do you have any suggestions to help me mind the fort?"

Tseng smirked, "Let the cats out of the bag." Tuesti looked at Tseng in shock. He hadn't known that Tseng knew about his "herd of cats." "And by the way," Tseng continued, and Tuesti raised his head, "I need to borrow something from you."

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(11 am Gongaga, 7 am Wutai, 3 pm Midgar, 5 pm Mideel)

It wasn't as hard to find as Marcus had expected. Two miles out from the reactor, just off the one main road, they found what they sought. A van covered in microwave antennas and what looked like modified explosives with pipes jammed into the ground, were on a dry rise above the swampy soil. Marcus and Nathan stealthily took out the three reactor personnel operating the equipment. It was now time to put in a call to the transport, which should be arriving soon. Marcus was about to enter the van, when once again, the voice of Carl Matthews stopped him.

"Marcus, you surprised me. I figured you'd head for the transport flight line. That's where Rodriguez is looking for you."

"Oh well. I always try to do the unexpected, Carl. You should have learned that by now," Marcus jumped to the ground from the top of the van steps, "but then, you always were a slow learner." Marcus could tell he'd hit a nerve with Matthews—Matthews would probably lose his cool for good. "And are you the _real_ thing this time, Carl?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Matthews came in with a downward right to left cut on Marcus that Marcus pushed aside. Marcus' pass continued into a counterattack with an upward left to right cut that caught Matthews' right knee then continued up to the left side of Matthews' head followed by a fan motion to his right temple. Neither side of the fan connected, but Matthews looked surprised at the strength and speed of the actions. Regrouping, both men backed off. Behind him, Marcus could hear the clang of blades—Nathan and another "Connors" were engaged.

Circling one another Marcus spotted it—the power supply for the equipment he'd been looking for. "Two birds with one stone… excellent." He kept his eyes away from the batteries. Matthews was strong and fresh, while Marcus was tired from a night of evading the reactor personnel. "Got to finish this quickly… Nathan's in no better shape…" Marcus stepped back, drawing Carl away from the jammers to get them out of Carl's range of vision, then attacked with a downward stab to Matthews' heart. Carl passed the strike as Marcus expected. Marcus turned the strike toward Carl's right knee, and this time he cut deeply into the same tissue he'd hit earlier. Marcus pulled back his claymore and stabbed Carl in the abdomen, twisting before kicking the body off the end of the sword and into the power supply. Sparks and explosions flew in all directions. Marcus turned to run, but he was too close. The ground came fast, and he landed hard, face first into the dirt.

"MARCUS!!"

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"Raise the reactor." Major Niles Britton, a candidate for first class, was in command of his first away-mission, a simple reinforcement at a remote reactor—almost boring. He and Maj. Juergen Alars, also a first class candidate, were anxious to get back to Midgar. Between the time they had left Midgar and now, all Soldier frequencies had gone to emergency mode—coded transmissions only. Neither their transport nor their PHSs were equipped with the latest codes, so they were effectively out of communication with Midgar and with their fellow Soldiers on the ground.

A voice came over Britton's headset speaker. "Glad you're here! This is reactor director Darren Walters. The monsters have been attacking here almost continuously for days. Five of your regular army guys are out of action—two of your Soldiers too."

"Two _Soldiers_! Who?!" Britton was surprised. He, like most Soldiers, tended to believe in the invincibility of all Soldiers in general, and of himself in particular, except, of course, where it came to General Sephiroth—who was completely unbeatable as far as Britton was concerned. He glanced at the questioning Alars.

"Your two First Classes… What were their names again?"

Britton felt anger that this Walters couldn't remember the names of two Soldiers who had probably been injured in the line of duty—protecting him and his stupid reactor. "_Lieutenant Colonel_ Marcus MacArthur and _Lieutenant Colonel_ Nathan Grainger! _Are they all right_?"

"Oh yeah…" Britton hoped Walters had caught the anger in his voice. "They're here inside the reactor with us. Right now nobody's outside fighting the monsters."

"We'll put down inside the reactor perimeter. Move all your people away. Soldier transport—out."

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Nathan had seen his partner fall and not get up. With adrenaline pumping he met Connors' sword force to force, got inside Connors' attack, elbowed him in the abdomen while cutting across the inside of Connors' right arm. Grabbing behind Connors' head with his left hand, Nathan pulled his claymore in a cross draw across Connors' throat while pushing his head to aid the slice, then backed away from the body avoiding most of the blood pouring from the open arteries. Connors would be dead before he hit the ground. Nathan turned and ran. "MARCUS!" They had one piece of healing materia between them, and Nathan now pulled it from his pocket heading for Marcus. He landed on his knees next to Marcus then felt a sword at his back.

"Don't bother, Nattie. He's dying, and you will be too, soon enough."

"MATTHEWS!!" Nathan started to spin on his knees, but he knew Matthews knew the maneuver and wasn't surprised when a sword pommel pounded him on a pressure point on his neck, and he fell to lie on top of Marcus.

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(7 am Wutai, 11 am Gongaga, 3 pm Midgar, 5 pm Mideel)

At Wutai Base, Col. Carlos Griegos ran a hand through his hair. He had been up all night and was showing the stress. He knew he had to sleep soon if he were to be effective. He looked at the lists he had made on the white board before him: names of troops (hand-picked, excellent fighters every one), supplies (two days worth, very light), equipment (swords, materia, guns, ammunition). He glanced at the map of the local surrounding area and again mentally traced routes to the imperial palace. He looked at his sergeant standing nearby and started dictating orders. Everything would soon be in place. The time for his counterattack would shortly be at hand. After his 8 am report to General Sephiroth, Griegos would sleep—for a few minutes, anyway.

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(10 am Rocket Town,11 am Gongaga, 3 pm Midgar, 5 pm Mideel)

"Goddamn, sonuvabitch, mother-fuckin'…" Cid Highwind in Rocket Town looked at the orders in his hand again. More carefully chosen language came sputtering out. "Q&#(#&#... _Shera_! Close up that instrument hatch! We've been _ordered_ to go to _Junon_! Ordered by _Tuesti_, no less!! The same mother-fucker that _just cut our budget_!! Of all the (#&)#()# places to go! At top speed no less! &#(!#)&. Move it!!"

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(11 am Gongaga, 7 am Wutai, 3 pm Midgar, 5 pm Mideel)

"Shit for brains!" Niles Britton looked down on the inside of the reactor compound. Walters hadn't pulled his people back, so the Soldier transport couldn't land. Britton was now doubly pissed off at the reactor director. Not only could Walters not remember the names of First Class Soldiers, he couldn't give orders for his people to let their "saviors" land. "Idiots! Let's look like we're leaving. Maybe then they'll clear us a spot."

"You sure we should do that?" Juergen Alars questioned over the headset.

"Do it!" Britton snapped the order over the headset for the pilot's benefit. "Head about five miles out on the road, _then_ I'll call Walters back and remind him of his _situation_."

Alars shook his head. They would hear about this when they got back to Midgar.

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Matthews snapped his head around at the familiar sound of a Soldier transport hovering low over the jungle trees headed away from the reactor, and right at him. "What the…?" No time to hide anything—not even time to properly kill these two—there was only time to run. "Well, Nattie. I guess this is it. Until _next_ time…"

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"Oh… my… gosh!" Alars spotted it first. "Niles, put us down _fast_!"

The transport, rather than landing at the reactor, put down on the road near the site of the jamming equipment.

"Quick. Get out the materia!" Juergen Alars shook his head. He just couldn't believe it. It looked like they were just in time to save Marcus' and Nathan's lives. Just because the ever impulsive Niles Britton had been pissed off by a reactor director, he was probably now going to be a hero. Damn. Talk about a swollen head…

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"Marcus! Can you hear me? Col. MacArthur, can you hear me? Dammit. I need more healing materia!" Was that Bilson's voice? Must be back at the reactor. Did we get captured? Probably… For Marcus it was just too hard to open his eyes or even twitch a finger.

"Bilson, is he going to be okay?" Nathan? Good, Nathan was all right.

"Not sure, Nathan. Sometimes I think he can hear us, but most of the time he seems far away. We need to get more high level healing materia. There's not much more _I_ can do. I don't even want to try to get him to the hospital in Gongaga. I'm afraid we'll lose him in the transport." Great, sounds like I'm dying… Wish I knew what happened to the clones… and the monsters… and the radio emergency… and…

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(12 midnight Wutai, 4 am Gongaga, 8 am Midgar, 10 am Mideel)

It was midnight—time for the operation to commence. Carlos Griegos reviewed his people one more time: his own second-in-command, Lt. Col. Bill Wallace, Jr., the son of the Gold Saucer base commander and one half of the only father-son pair of First Class Soldiers in Shinra; Lt. Col. Cho Lee (new to First Class, but the best swordsman on the base—as hard as that was for Griegos to admit); Major Ted Stanley and Captain Tom Danzen (both Second Class Soldiers, good shots and swordsmen); and Second Lieutenants Jerry Aman (a new Third Class Soldier, but a crack shot) and Jens Akita (also a new Third Class Soldier, but the best Wutainese speaker on base). All but the two new third classes were combat veterans of exactly the sort of operation Griegos had planned for this evening. In addition to these seven, three regular army guys and two Turks, who had been caught at Wutai Base without a way to get back to Midgar, had volunteered to go along. In all, there were just a dozen men to attempt the capture of an emperor…

The Turks checked out the entrance to the tunnel. Every secret tunnel entrance out of Wutai Base had been checked and double checked to determine whether the Wutainese knew their locations. Some tunnels were found to be watched, but some weren't. In particular, one tunnel, with its entrance about five miles out from the base in a copse of trees and in the direction of the palace, hadn't been watched. Griegos hoped this meant that the Wutainese were not somehow herding his group into a trap. He, Bill Wallace, and the Turks had gone over several possible routes to the palace on aerial photos of the region taken before the attacks. With fifteen miles yet to go, they could get close tonight, but they wouldn't be able to launch the attack and get away until tomorrow evening.

Twenty miles to the palace. When you said it like that, it didn't seem so very far. Twenty minutes by car, but hours on foot, hiding, waiting for peasants or cows to pass by. Griegos glanced over his shoulder. They'd need better transport back to the base when they caught Godo and his daughter.

The Turks signaled 'all clear.' Time to move… "Let's go!"

**A/N—I almost split this chapter into two parts. The first chapter would have ended where Nathan shouts "MARCUS!!" That would have been a real cliffhanger, but Bjanik hates cliffhangers, and Bjanik knows where I live…**


	13. Lost

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine (the author formerly known as xXxValentinexXx), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—This week everything happens in Midgar. It's the fourth day Tessa has been in the tube, and the twenty-second week, fourth day of her pregnancy.**

(10 pm, Midgar; 12 midnight, Mideel fifth day; 6 pm, Gongaga; 2 pm, Wutai)

Cloud Strife scratched his nose. It was the evening of the fourth day of Dr. Romera's confinement, and his second shift on guard duty watching the tube and the monitors. Cloud had heard she was going to be taken out of the tube tomorrow for tests. Cloud hoped she was okay—especially if it meant he could get off lab guard duty. He glanced around the dark lab/storeroom for maybe the fiftieth time and wondered what he'd done to piss Zack off into giving him guard duty in the lab. Nothing seemed to be happening, at all. All of Soldier was preparing for the move to Wutai tomorrow—except him. "General's orders, my friend," hadn't really cut it as an explanation, though orders were orders… Cloud stepped up to the door to the hallway to the main lab area and knocked. Benton, a fellow third class, opened the door.

"Relief for a couple minutes?" Benton nodded, and Cloud passed out of the room. Cloud could just hear Benton and Richards, his second class friend, both standing in the doorway, laughing softly together as he turned into the main lab.

Cloud had never been comfortable in laboratories—they reminded him too much of school—and the General's wife made him nervous anyway. He took his time in the bathroom and in coming back through the quiet main laboratory. He glanced at the white-boarded charts with their entries trying to understand them. Confusing.

As he turned the corner back to the hallway, Cloud stopped surprised. The door to the tube room was standing open, but there was no sign of the two Soldiers. Had they escaped for a few minutes of their own? He glanced behind him around the main room, but he saw no sign of Benton and Richards. He walked softly toward the open door checking the other doors as he passed them, finding nothing amiss. Then he heard something. Cloud immediately ducked into the nearest doorway. Was that a voice? A _woman's_ voice?

"Get out the flex-tube. We'll pull some of this mako into the flexxie—use _their_ supplies for now." A sucking sound started with a loud gulp then settled into a thrumming beat.

A second deeper, masculine voice. "What do we do with these two, Commander?"

"Just leave them alone. We don't have time to deal with them. They'll be dead soon."

Cloud knelt down close to the floor daring to look inside the room. Benton and Richards were lying on the floor, small black feathered darts sticking out of their necks. Cloud couldn't tell if they were dead or alive. Across the room, the mako solution was draining from the tube, great bubbles bouncing the General's wife's head about, the level dropping fast. Three black-clad invaders stood about the room. Two men with black balaclavas over their heads stood in front of an open grate in the wall near the floor in the far corner. The third, a woman, her head uncovered, with black hair pulled back in a long tail down her back, stood at the tube controls. A long silver object, rather like a sleeping bag, lay between the woman and the men. A hose connected the bag to a pump near the tube.

Cloud pulled back into the hall, silently slipped a short sword and dagger from their sheaths at his hips, and then wished again for the Baby Buster he usually carried. It was just too big to swing in the back room. Three on one—he didn't like those odds, but there was no help for it. He didn't know why, but these people were _kidnapping_ the General's wife, and he had to stop them. The nearest alarm box was outside the labs in the main hallway—too far. They'd be gone before he could get to it. He heard the pump make a gargling sound. They were done draining the tube already! Next he heard an airy "whoosh" as the tube lifted from its base, dripping mako. Cloud risked another look and saw that the men had caught Dr. Romera's body in their arms and were lowering her into the silver bag. One man had his back to Cloud. Cloud stepped into the doorway and threw the dagger into that back with Soldier strength. Two on one. Better.

The others looked up alarmed. "Get him!"

The masked kidnapper took out a dagger and lunged for Cloud's stomach. Cloud grabbed the man's wrist with his left hand, pushed the flat of the dagger blade into the man's abdomen with the sword then continued the move connecting smoothly to the man's nose and drawing the sword across his face, zeeing the blade down and across his stomach, then cut across the femoral artery. Messy. Suddenly Cloud felt pain in his ankle then realized his mistake—"dagger-back" wasn't so dead after all. Cloud crouched to cut the man's throat, before turning to the last invader.

"Stop, or she dies." The woman held a knife poised above the General's wife's throat on the outside of the silver bag. "I can cut her throat faster than you can get across the room."

Cloud rose slowly, glaring at the attacker through a green haze. Maybe he could get across the room before the woman killed her—maybe he couldn't.

"You don't want to kill _her_. She's the reason you're here, isn't she?" Cloud took a slow, cautious step, careful of his footing on the bloody, body strewn floor.

"DON'T MOVE!" The invader pressed the knife closer to Tessa's throat.

Cloud stopped, "I'm not moving." He lowered his sword.

The woman straightened slowly, holding Cloud's eyes, the knife still close to Tessa's throat. Cloud suddenly realized they were both stalling, then that meant!... The green haze seemed to drain from his vision. In slow motion Cloud looked over to see a blue feathered dart protruding from his upper right arm. Another man was leaning into the room from the open grate, and a blow-gun was dropping from his lips.

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"Cloud! Wake up! CLOUD!" Cloud felt himself shaken, his head jerked about on his neck, pain as someone hit him across the face, then a stinging bite in his arm.

"Zack?" Cloud opened his eyes and then memory returned, "Oh… crap..." Zack was holding him by his shoulders, the feathered dart now lying on the floor beside them. Two other Soldiers were in the room looking over their comrades, shaking their heads.

"Yeah, I'll say… Where's Tessa, Cloud? What happened?"

"Two men and a woman took her out of the tube… I'd gone to the bathroom. When I got back, Benton and Richards were on the floor, and the men were putting Dr. Romera in a silver sleeping bag-thing. I killed the men, then a third guy showed up and shot me in the arm… from there…" Cloud waved at the now-closed grate near the floor in the wall.

Zack rushed across the room, ripped the grate out of the wall, and stuck his head in to check out the crawl space. He opened his PHS and speed-dialed his commander. "Seph, I'm in the lab. You'd better get up here NOW." With that Zack hung up, made a second call, and began to crawl into the shaft, "Commander Tseng. This is Zack Fair. Dr. Romera has been kidnapped from the tube. The perpetrators have…"

Suddenly the building swayed, every alarm went off, and Tseng's line went dead. Sirens screamed, overhead lights flickered, and red emergency lights strobed. Tseng wouldn't have turned on the alarms just yet, Zack thought. He'd have waited at least until Zack had finished his report. The building must be under attack! Zack paused. What should he do? Follow Tessa or defend Shinra?

"Zack?!" Cloud leaned into the shaft.

"Cloud, tell Rivers to stand guard, not to touch anything, and report to the General when he arrives. Tell Daniels to get Benton and Richards to the infirmary. Come on, kid, you're with me. Let's go."

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The Shinra front gate security guards paced their rounds slowly before the main building gates. It was late evening, and the guards were nearing the end of their shift. Suddenly a panel truck raced up the ramp to the building's courtyard level, crashed through the Shinra gates, and headed straight for the building's main lobby entrance. The guards opened fire on the truck hoping somehow to slow or stop it. With the guards firing at the truck, the black-clad attackers trailing behind it entered the complex easily and began firing at the guards taking them by surprise. The truck crashed through the glass front of the building and exploded within the lobby, blowing out much of the first five stories.

Sephiroth, sword in hand, was in the stairwell climbing up in answer to Zack's call when the building rocked violently, followed instantly by blaring sirens and strobing lights. He swayed in surprise with the building for a moment, then he turned and headed down the stairwell. At the Soldier level Sephiroth gathered Major Niven and several Soldiers with a yell, and continued down the stairs. Whatever was wrong in the lab would have to wait.

In the burning shell of the lobby, guards, Turks, regular employees, and even Shinra executives were now armed and firing away through the smoke and flames at black-clad attackers—Rufus Shinra and Reeve Tuesti among them. Tuesti was even shooting with one hand and holding his PHS to his head talking with his other. "Possibly already arranging repairs?" Sephiroth thought, commending Tuesti's forward thinking, then gathered his Soldiers to him with his eyes and headed out of the lobby to end the threat of the terrorists.

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The Commander had moved as fast as she could while pulling a dolly loaded with a body through the vents toward the service elevator shaft. At the elevators, she and her last cohort, with the body now slung over his shoulder and the dolly abandoned, had jumped onto the top of a descending elevator. Her henchman had climbed down into the elevator, overpowered the luckless Shinra employee, and commandeered the elevator on down to the lowest level of the building. From there they were in the maintenance tunnels—at least they could stand upright and make better time now. Suddenly she heard the building shudder and rock above her—her troops were covering her escape.

The Commander expected to be pursued, even though the three Soldiers were out. Hopefully the elevator shaft would confuse the pursuers. Too bad the blond kid had only taken a sleeping dart. The first two Soldiers had been hit with poisoned darts to their necks—if help came fast, they might live. It had taken a full day to dig through the barricades Shinra had installed in the ventilation shafts and maintenance tunnels, and to do it in such a way as to not alert the Turks via their vid-cams.

The Commander was deeply angry—just wait till she got her hands on Genesis. He was _so_ dead—ordering such a stupid attack—too expensive in personnel to her way of thinking. She had already lost two of her men. She expected to lose more of her people in the truck bombing and assault on the front lobby. Her troops wouldn't attack for long, however. The bomb and attack were diversions for what she was doing. With luck, lots of luck, they might yet make it out of here. After all, any pursuit in the tunnels would have to deal with the surprise she had waiting at the end.

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"What do you think, Spike? Which way?" Zack and Cloud had come to an intersection of main shafts. While they had been following tracks in the dust, here the dust patterns were confused seeming to lead in both directions.

"If one of them was trying to lead us away, wouldn't we need to follow the trail more likely to have Dr. Romera's body?"

"Or they would think that we'd think that and manage to lay a false trail. Arg! Where's a Turk when you need one? I'm sure Reno could tell which way to go."

"Wait, Zack. Look over there." Zack looked where Cloud pointed—to the left trail about thirty feet ahead. There a tiny green dot glowed on the ground. Zack saw it then—mako. Was the silver bag leaking? For Tessa's sake he hoped not, but if it helped to find her, Zack would follow it.

"Right. Let's go kid."

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Sephiroth grabbed the straps of Rivers' kisori in both hands. "_Where is she?! Report!_"

Rivers had been expecting this treatment and had his report ready. "Sir! When Daniels and I got here with Lt. Col. Fair, we found Benton, Richards, and Strife out cold on the floor and two men in black, already dead. The lieutenant colonel managed to wake up Strife who reported he'd arrived back in the room to find Benton and Richards out cold and two men and a woman abducting Dr. Romera. Strife said he'd killed the two men, but another man showed up and drugged him. Lt. Col. Fair then ordered Daniels to take Benton and Richards to the infirmary, me to stand guard here, and he and Strife went into the ventilation shafts in pursuit."

Sephiroth pushed down the rage along with the green in his eyes and pulled out his PHS, pushing his way to the open grate.

"Tseng! Where do the building ventilation shafts come out?!"

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A toy-like cat glanced first back, then ahead. An elevator car with footprints in the dust on its roof was moving upward just feet from its nose. The cat listened to a voice only it could hear. "How about that? When the car comes back down, jump on top and drop a bit of mako, my friend."

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At the elevator shaft Cloud looked up and down the shaft walls and stopped in near despair. "Zack! Just look at all the ventilation shafts connecting to the elevator shafts! They could be anywhere!"

"True, kid, but I'll bet they're trying to get away _underground_ and that means the lowest underground level of the Shinra building."

An elevator moved downward in front of their eyes.

"Look there! Mako! Come on, kid. We jump!" With that Zack leapt away from the horizontal shaft and grabbed for the elevator car's suspension cable with his gloved hands. He gracefully swung around the cable before coming to rest atop the car, Cloud following close behind. Zack opened the escape hatch of the car and stuck his head in. "Hey, would you push the very bottom level button for us?"

A short balding man looked up in surprise, "Hunh? How'd you get up there?"

"Chasing terrorists. Push the button, okay?"

"Uh, sure."

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Ahead the cat could see a dim light—the exit to the outside of the maintenance tunnel had been sealed off years ago but had now been dug through. That had taken some work. From behind, he could hear the Soldiers moving, trying to be quiet. The cat listened to the voice. "It's time to drop another bit of mako, my friend, then evacuate. The Soldiers should be able to find their way now." The tip of one of the cat's paw-fingers opened, and a tiny drop of mako fell to the floor of the shaft. The cat took a side-trip at the next intersection, careful to jump to the top of the shaft and grip tight with his claws, and not leave tracks in the undisturbed dust. It watched as the Soldiers passed.

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At the lowest elevator level Zack and Cloud had looked about and found a maintenance tunnel where the mako drops continued. They walked for what seemed hours, but the trail in the dust kept going. After a while lights ceased, and only mako glows kept them going. Finally, a lighter darkness appeared ahead of them. Zack stopped and pushed Cloud back, away from the lighter area. Zack gave Cloud hand signs for "equipment check." Cloud returned the signs for "knife," "short sword," "basic cure materia," and "fire materia." "Not bad," Zack thought giving his own signs for "knife," "master cure materia," and "master fire materia," then "give short sword." Finally, "careful," and they moved ahead.

The tunnel had widened, but rubble was everywhere. Zack's foot nudged a broken piece of masonry, and he heard a faint click. "CLOUD!!" He grabbed Cloud and hurtled the pair of them away—fire, rubble, and dust overtook him.

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"WHAT COULD THEY WANT WITH TESSA?!" electricity flickered between Sephiroth's fingers, and he growled at Major Niven. Then Sephiroth stopped still as a possibility became a dead certainty. "Wait… Genesis, you _bastard_! It's not Tessa. It's the _baby_!"

Sephiroth had gathered up Niven and five of his men as he'd hurried away from Shinra. They were making their way to the location Tseng had given them for the exit of the ventilation and maintenance tunnels at the train station. "Tseng said the whole area was blocked off—sealed up years ago—and the Turks keep it under video surveillance. So how could this happen?" Suddenly the sound of an explosion down a distant train tunnel came to his ears.

"MOVE!!" Sephiroth ran in the direction of the explosion, his men running hard in an attempt to keep up with him.

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"Zack! _Zack!_" Cloud pushed the body of his friend away from his own. Zack's eyes were dull, the mako gleam dimming. Rising to his knees, Cloud saw immediately that the entire back side of Zack's body was burned, the fabric melted, pieces of rubble were embedded in his arms and back—everywhere he wasn't covered by leather—and blood was oozing around the rubble.

"ZACK!" Cloud screamed then ripped open Zack's pockets for his master cure materia, laid it over Zack's back nearest his heart, and hoped in the dim light to heal the most threatening of the damage. He took one deep breath to calm his panic and center his intent, then "Cure3." Bits of the sparkling materia found its way through cracks in the melted fabric and leather, set to work pushing out the foreign materials, and began to heal Zack's body. Hearing Zack take a deep shuddering breath, Cloud took the short sword and ran through the new hole in the wall, only to find himself standing on a ledge above some train tracks in a tunnel. A train moved away from him in the distance.

Cloud ran, and the train receded. Suddenly Cloud found himself thrown backward onto the ground. Something silver and smelling of leather stood over him. "Cloud! _Where…?_" Sephiroth extended a hand, but Cloud was already running again after the train.

"That way! That one!" Cloud waved his arms wildly in the general direction of the receding train. Sephiroth jumped more than ran after the train, passing Cloud and pursued by several Soldiers. Cloud slowed knowing he could not catch the train and had better see to Zack. "Contact Tseng!" he heard as he slowed. Cloud stopped, his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"Commander… Cloud Strife… Soldier Third Class here, sir." Cloud panted into his PHS. "The General is chasing… the train on track fifty-seven. It has his wife on it... but you'd better stop… _all_ the trains in Midgar… just to be safe…" From every direction then, Cloud could hear screeching, see sparks flying, as every train in the station came to a halt.

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"Nothing." Sephiroth had personally searched the train, breaking benches, shelves, and the occasional passenger in the process. "NOTHING! Where are the Turks when you need them?!"

"Right here, General," a woman with wavy red hair in a blue suit dared approach the General. "I'm Cissnei, Commander Tseng's assistant. We'll take it from here. If Dr. Romera is on this, or any, train in the station, we'll find her."

Sephiroth frowned further at the woman's exception, "Could she be elsewhere?"

"There's always the possibility. There are a number of little-used exits in this station. The terrorists could be trying to take her out any of them. Your Soldiers didn't observe the abductors continuously, did they?"

"_No, I doubt they did_." Sephiroth turned away and flipped open his PHS. "Tseng! Do you have people at every exit from the station?!"

"Yes, but they could still slip out. I sealed all the exits from here, but these terrorists are smart. They could have an alternate, unsealable exit anywhere."

"DAMN!!" Sephiroth was about to explode.

Cccccccccccccccc

Cloud knelt by Zack's side. Zack hadn't awakened as Cloud had hoped, and Cloud applied the materia to Zack's body again, continued the healing process, and tried to clean more of the rubble from his friend's skin.

Zack took a shuddering breath and opened his eyes. "Hey, Spike… what happened?"

"There was an explosion. You were badly burned, mainly on your back. You saved my life. Thanks, Zack."

"Hey, it's okay… What happened to Tessa?"

"I took care of you the best I could, then I ran," he waved toward the hole in the wall. "The train tunnels are right there. There was a train moving away, so I chased it until I ran into the General."

"Wait… You mean, you ran _into_ the General? Literally?"

"Uh, yeah. Landed flat on my ass. I took off running again and waving. He passed me chasing the train. I called Commander Tseng to report, then I came back to find you. As far as I know, _no one's_ found Dr. Romera." Cloud looked ashamed. She had been his responsibility, and as far as he could tell he had failed in his duty.

"Hey. You took on what, four guys by yourself, killed two of 'em. Kept me alive, far as I can tell. Don't worry. You're a good Soldier, Spike."

Cloud's face brightened at the news. Zack reached up and ruffled the rubbly, spiky hair, now more white than blond. Dust and bits of cement flew off. "Come on. Help me up. We've got to find the General."

Ccccccccccccccccccc

Down the train tunnel in the opposite direction from that taken by Cloud's train, a manhole cover shifted quietly into its fully closed position, unseen by everyone.

**A/N—This will be the last chapter for a couple of weeks. My mother's having open heart surgery 6/2 or 6/3—two states away (her prognosis is good!). I will be out of town next weekend for sure, so the update won't happen then—probably not until the following weekend. Angeal Valentine and I will be back soon!**


	14. Departures

**A/N—My mother's surgery went very well—a triple bypass to her heart and a clean-out of one of her carotid arteries. Angeal Valentine and I are back home now; however, when I looked at "Part II" again after a week and a half of not touching it, I realized I needed a major re-organization and rewrite of the next four chapters! While I'm now out of my comfort zone, at least the "back burner" of my brain was working on the story while I was occupied elsewhere… It is now the morning after the attack on Shinra in Midgar and Tessa has not yet been found…**

(8 am – 10 am, Midgar; 10 am – 12 noon, Mideel; 4 am – 6 am, Gongaga; 12 midnight – 2 am, Wutai)

"I'm sorry, sir. No one is being admitted to Shinra today."

It was the morning of the fifth day since Dr. Romera had confined herself to a tube to undergo enhanced mako treatment, and Dr. Leonard Caperton had arrived as scheduled to determine whether she could now be released. When he arrived at Shinra, however, he was stopped at what had been the front gates—now barred by concrete barricades and troops in riot gear carrying machine guns. He had seen reports on the morning news of an attack on Shinra, but he had not expected to not even be allowed to approach the building, much less not see his patient. Instead, a scowling guard was sticking a gun in his face looking at him as if he were a terrorist suspect or a bug to be squashed.

"But I have a staff i.d. I'm a doctor, and I have a patient in that building. I _have_ to see her today. Please, I need to speak to someone in charge."

"I'm sorry, sir. No one is being admitted to Shinra today."

Dr. Caperton frowned. The man was a broken record. "We'll see about that." He turned away from the entrance, pulled out his PHS, and dialed the number of Tessa's lab. "Glenn, Leonard Caperton here. The guards won't let me in!"

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Tseng stood looking at his maps of the area about the Shinra building and Midgar, trying to get in the heads of Tessa's abductors. Every way in and out of the city was sealed—no airships or ground transportation were moving without being searched. Midgar was effectively cut off from the rest of Gaia. "Give me your expert opinion, Valentine. If you had kidnapped Tessa Romera, where would you be?"

Vincent was perched at Tseng's window wearing much the same expression of outrage and intense concentration that Tseng's face wore, as if he could see just where Tessa was outside the building—could reach out and pick her off the street. _"Somewhere Sephiroth would never find me." _Vincent's voice was pitched low and harsh in its answer. "It has to be Rhapsodos. Sephiroth is dead certain that he and Hollander want Jenova cells. He's sure Rhapsodos' body is degenerating, unstable without Jenova."

"Indeed. I'd go somewhere Sephiroth couldn't get to me." Tseng nodded. "Rhapsodos, hm… Banora then?"

"Banora is his base… and Reno and Rude have disappeared."

"Valentine, I'm going to call _him_. Do you want to be here when I make the call? After all, we need all the help we can get."

Vincent glanced at the Turk commander. Tseng was nervous. Vincent considered this for a moment before nodding. "Go ahead."

Tseng pushed speed dial number one on his PHS; however, he was completely unprepared for the voice that answered. "Goddammit! I thought I told you, ya keep calling the wrong number! Ya damn bill collectors!" and the line went dead.

Tseng pulled the phone away from his aching ear and stared at it as if it were a snake that had just bitten him. It had been a woman's voice on the other end of the line. "Better check that number again." He pulled a tiny scrap of paper from his wallet and compared it to his speed dial code. "No. That's it. Let's try that again." Tseng hit the redial button.

"Bastards! I thought I told you…" the voice on the other end trailed off for a moment. "You're not a debt collector, are you?"

"No." Tseng paused. "May I speak to Verdot, please?"

"Oh, my apologies!" the voice was suddenly polite. Away from the receiver Tseng heard first, "Boss, phone for you!" then shuffling and grumbling.

"Yes?" A man's calm voice finally came over the receiver.

"'You heard it too, didn't you?'" Tseng asked.

A pause, then "'The voice of the wind,'" the countersign. "Tseng, m'boy, how are you?"

"Fine, and you, Mr. Verdot?" Tseng asked politely despite the urgency of the situation.

A humorless laugh came over the phone, "we can save the small talk until later. Right now, I want details."

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"I'm sorry about the reception. Please come on inside. After the attack on the building last night, everyone is traumatized. Shinra _is_ 'open for business,' but no one is really _working_ today. In fact only a few of our techs even came in." Dr. Glenn Riordan, Tessa Romera's second, had met Dr. Caperton at the barricades and vouched him into the building, but rather than go through the gutted lobby, he had taken Dr. Caperton up a service elevator to the laboratory's home in the sixty-ninth floor. The few technicians present had turned their heads at the doctor's approach then looked nervously back at their assignments.

The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. "_What's_ going on?" Leonard Caperton stopped and frowned. "Something else is wrong."

"Yes, I'll explain shortly. Please come with me." At that point they entered the hallway to the tube room. Blue-suited Turks and Shinra security people were going over the hall dusting every square inch for fingerprints. "There," from the tube room door Glenn pointed across the room.

Dr. Caperton gasped. "Where is she?!"

"Tess has been kidnapped… The entire terrorist attack on the building last night was a cover for the kidnapping. The kidnappers got out of the building and may even be out of Midgar by now. Who knows where they could be." Glenn shook his head sadly. "The Turks are heading the investigation rather than security." He paused and looked at Dr. Caperton, "They want to talk to you."

"Me?!" Dr. Caperton shook his head. "I don't know anything. Nor do I understand—why would anyone want to kidnap Dr. Romera?"

"I'm not sure, but you should talk to the Turks before we discuss anything. Come with me please. They've taken over Tessa's office and are talking to one of the Soldiers who was guarding her at the time."

Inside Tessa's office a very tired looking, young blond Soldier sat knee to knee with an almost equally blond girl roughly the same age but dressed in a dark blue suit. The girl had a sketch pad on her knees drawing what seemed to be the face of a lovely, dark haired woman. Dr. Caperton glanced at the sketch, then did a double take.

Glenn made introductions, "Leonard, this is the Soldier I mentioned, Cloud Strife," then turned to a tall, blond, twenty-something woman in the shadows, "this is Jayna, one of the Turks, and her trainee, Elena," indicating the girl. "Jayna, I believe you wanted to talk to Dr. Caperton if he came in?"

"Yes, thank you." Jayna stepped from the shadows. To Glenn her steps seemed somehow predatory.

Dr. Caperton raised a hand without looking up from the drawing. "Just a minute..." He indicated the drawing on the trainee's lap. "Could I take a look at that?"

The girl glanced up at the older Turk, who nodded with a raised eyebrow, then shrugged. "Sure."

Dr. Caperton stepped behind the girl's chair and peered over her shoulder. "I think I've seen her before," he mumbled.

From behind him the Turk asked, "Where? Who is she? It could be very important."

Dr. Caperton looked up, startled by the woman's voice. "Well, it just reminds me of a woman who's gone missing at the hospital. Her friends put up posters with almost this same picture wanting information on her whereabouts… You know the sort of thing I mean."

"Yes, I do," the woman said intently. "Do you know anything about her? Name? Department?"

"Name? Uh, Samantha… maybe?... Medical records, I think."

The woman flipped open her PHS. "Commander, I think we have a lead."

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Tseng looked at a sketch, a "Missing" poster, a hospital personnel file, and a copy of Tessa's medical file that had been placed on his desk. Samantha Silverton had worked part-time in medical records at Midgar University Hospital for the past five years. Her personnel file listed her as a graduate of a local high school and junior college, with a post office box for an address. The transcript of Tessa's last visit to Dr. Caperton ended with the initials of the transcriptionist, "SS." Clearly, Samantha Silverton was more than a secretary.

"Good work, Jayna, and you too, trainee Elena, on your first successful assignment." Tseng looked up at his agents.

"Thank you, sir." Tall, blond, built Jayna was conducting her sister, Elena's, orientation into the Turks. Jayna was his "evening gown" agent, usually escorted by her partner, the suavely handsome "Richard." Dick and Jane always were the life of any elegant affair and held everyone's eyes while performing executive protection duties in plain sight. Sixteen-year-old Elena's artistic talent seemed to have already come in handy.

Elena looked shyly at Tseng. "Thank you, sir." Tseng's breath caught in his throat at the sight of the blond girl's huge brown eyes… Hm… evening gown detail…

Jayna looked between her boss and her sister and smirked. "Come on, 'Lany. We've got to finish getting ready to leave for Mideel." Elena glanced again at her new boss and gave a quick smile—no more than a fleeting upward curve of her lips—before she followed her sister out the door.

Tseng shook his head and mumbled, "Tseng, you are almost old enough to be her father... Keep telling yourself that, too." Glancing down, Tseng finally came back to his original train of thought. He looked up at his assistant standing at the windows. "Cissnei, run Samantha Silverton's name and face through our internal databanks. Talk to her coworkers. See if anyone knows where she actually lives. I want her residence gone over with a fine-toothed comb."

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Cloud sat dejected on his bed in the Third Class dormitories. Almost all the Third Class Soldiers had been selected to go to Wutai with the General. He, on the other hand, had received no such orders. So here he sat, nearly alone in the building. Despite Zack's assurances, clearly he was being punished for his failure to prevent Dr. Romera's abduction. He flopped back on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and started counting dimples in the ceiling tiles—again ("8, 9, 10,…"). His career in Soldier was over—almost before it had begun... Doomed… He'd join the regular army ("31, 32, 33,…"). They'd usually take young Soldier washouts… Usually… ("51, 52, 53,…"). Of course, no one had ever lost the General's wife to kidnappers before, so who knew… One thing was for sure though, he was never going back to Nibelheim! At least not to live—although seeing _her_ might not be so bad ("107, 108, 109,…," nuts—lost count.) He rolled over and looked at the framed photo on the shelf above his bed. It was a picture of his mother and _her_. Tifa Lockheart—the girl, well not quite next door, but a girl he'd known his whole life. Great. Just the thing to improve his depression. Would she even want to leave Nibelheim, even for him, now that he was a Soldier washout?

Suddenly his PHS buzzed with a text message. Cloud sighed—just what he needed, one of his excited friends giving him a play-by-play from the launch field. Cloud considered just ignoring it, even waiting a day or two to read the message. Instead what he saw caused him to sit bolt upright on the bed. "Orders: get to transport #36 NOW!—Z."

Cloud grabbed his Baby Buster and ran out the door. He paused halfway down the hall for an instant when he realized he had no other equipment or gear with him of any kind. Oh well. Zack did say "NOW!" and on he ran.

Ccccccccccccccccc

"Then _I'm_ partly responsible for Dr. Romera's kidnapping?!" Leonard Caperton looked aghast at Glenn Riordan who leaned against the wall in much the same spot in Tessa's office that the Turk had stood. "But I still don't understand why anyone would want to kidnap Tessa Romera!"

Glenn, seeing Caperton's concern, relented, "you commented once to me about the oddness of the baby's genetic code, remember?" Caperton nodded. "Well, the _reason_ it's odd, is from genetic manipulations that were done to the General when _he_ was a fetus. That he was experimented on is no big secret. I don't know any of the details, but, as I understand it, there are people in this world who want to get their hands on his tissue. Barring being able to get their hands on him, it seems they've decided to go after what may be to them the next best thing, Tess's baby."

Leonard Caperton felt his knees give out, and his hands sought one of the chairs in front of Tessa's desk. "What would…? Why would…? How could…?" Caperton waved a hand about in a wiping gesture. "Wait!.. Do you mean they want the baby _for an experiment?!_ At twenty-two weeks, that baby is what about the size of your hand. It weighs a pound, maybe a pound-and-a-half, tops! The odds against it surviving outside its mother are twenty-to-one against… Would they kill the baby just to get General Sephiroth's genes?!.. Would they kill Dr. Romera to get the baby?!"

Glenn shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know the answers to any of your questions." He had been trying _not_ to think about any of this. He sighed. "I _doubt_ they would kill the baby… After all, if the baby were dead, in a day or two its body would return to the Lifestream, and they'd have no tissue. Unless they cloned it _very _quickly, I suppose, and that might not even be possible. As to whether they would kill Tess, again I don't know, but they might not keep her alive longer than it would take for the child to be able to exist outside her body. Then she'd no longer be of use to them—except maybe as a shield to keep the General at bay."

"How could they?! How dare they threaten a mother and child, especially a child whose parents want it as much as this child is wanted by these parents?!" Leonard Caperton felt anger—at the kidnappers and at himself. "Since I'm responsible for this, I want to help, Glenn. If—no when!—Dr. Romera is found, I think I'd better be nearby. It sounds like she and the baby might well need my help."

Glenn considered the possibility. He had no idea where Tessa was, but with Soldier and the Turks leaving shortly, he'd bank on the Turks—after all the Soldiers were obviously going to Wutai, into a war zone. Glenn nodded. "Come on. Let's talk to Commander Tseng."

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General Sephiroth stood looking out over his assembled troops, regular army and Soldiers alike, on the plane before the entrance into Midgar. In the distance, transport ships stood waiting to carry his people to Rocket Town and thence to Wutai City. On any other day, the grand sight would have made him proud… happy… his heart glad. That was the problem, wasn't it? _His heart._ Tessa and their baby were gone, and he didn't know where they'd been taken. If he hadn't had a heart, none of this might have happened. Even Godo's rebellion could be traced in part to his recognition that Sephiroth had acquired a "vulnerability" at that last conference.

"Seph," Zack whispered. He and the other First Class Soldiers in Midgar stood on a platform behind Sephiroth looking out over the plane. "Seph, they're expecting you to say something."

Sephiroth raised his chin and glared. "What is there to say?" he growled.

"Yes, sir." Zack blanked his face and resumed his attention stance.

Col. Gavin McIntyre stepped forward then, and the General turned to face him. McIntyre saluted, and the two men clasped right hands. "General, with your permission, I hereby take command of all forces on the eastern and western continents until you return. Good hunting."

"Thank you, Colonel. Command is yours." McIntyre stepped back, saluted again, then returned to his position at the head of the line.

"Command, attention!" Zack shouted, and the troops snapped their feet together. "Salute!"

Sephiroth glared and snarled, "To your ships! Move out!"

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In the courtyard of the Shinra building, another group was making ready to depart Midgar. Tseng and roughly fifty Turks, including Vincent Valentine, were milling about—Rufus Shinra was already on board one of the waiting transport ships.

"Commander!" Cissnei approached Tseng with Tseng's secretary, Derek, in tow. Derek carried several file folders in his hand. "There are few more items to sign."

Tseng pulled a pen from out of his jacket and scrawled his name. "Any word on the kidnappers?"

"As you suspected, the bodies of the two men Cloud Strife killed yielded little additional information. One was a small time muscle-for-hire. The other was an anti-Shinra fanatic. Both bodies have begun returning to the Lifestream. I have _security_ personnel following up on the investigation."

Tseng raised an eyebrow. "People you trust?"

Cissnei nodded. "People I trust _sufficiently_—ones who want to do a good job for the Turks now that the Turks are in charge."

"All right. Keep me posted on anything they find. Anything else?"

Cissnei nodded again. "Yes, sir. Samantha Silverton—two things. We were able to find out that she was living in an old warehouse at Seventh and Brine on the lower plate. The whole building is heavily booby-trapped, but there's evidence that Genesis Rhapsodos and Vester Hollander were using it as a combination laboratory and training center, and that they had been there within the last month. The other thing is that when we ran her name through the Shinra databases, we found a single reference to her in _Hojo's_ old records. Seems she was recruited by him for some kind of experiment. I'm going to check with Glenn Riordan to see if he has any info concerning her."

"Was anyone hurt at the warehouse? You mentioned booby-traps."

"No sir—we're Turks after all—but we haven't got everything opened yet. I hate to say this, but I wish Reno was here."

Tseng nodded and smiled slightly, "Let me know if anything turns up." He paused. "I assume there has still been no word from Hutchins in Mideel?" Cissnei shook her head in response to Tseng's question. "The man has the gall to lie to me, then he doesn't even _try_ to make amends. Perhaps he really did run. No matter. We'll catch him, sooner or later, whether on Mideel Island or off…"

"Yes, sir!" Cissnei nodded sharply—the Turk salute. The Turks headed for their transports.

"Commander Tseng!" a lab-coated, spiky-haired man was running across the courtyard toward Tseng. At the sound, heads snapped sharply, and guns were pulled from jackets by twitchy Turks. Tseng, Vincent, and Cissnei on the other hand, recognized the man.

"Speak of the devil… Dr. Riordan?! Everyone, stand down!" Tseng moved to the perimeter of the watchful circle of Turks. "Dr. Riordan, what is it?"

"Commander. This is Dr. Leonard Caperton. He's Tessa's OB/GYN. You may have heard of him." Glenn turned toward a small, dark-suited, blond man behind him.

"Ah, yes. What can I do for you, Doctor?"

"I believe I need to go with you, Commander."

"Excuse me?" Tseng's eyebrows went up to his hairline.

"From what Glenn has told me, I'm partly responsible for Dr. Romera's abduction. I don't know where you're going, but I believe it has something to do with her and the baby. If Dr. Romera or the baby is hurt when you find them, then I may be the best help you can get. You won't have to worry about me. I spent two years in Wutai as a medic. I can help in that regard too."

Tseng thought for only a second. "Welcome aboard. Cissnei, get Dr. Caperton a medical kit, and a gun."

Cccccccccccccc

"&#(!))(#&(&)#)." Cid Highwind was still angry, perhaps even angrier than he had been in Rocket Town. "Here we are, _as ordered_, sitting on our asses in Junon! No sign of Tuesti, that budget-cutting SOB. Nobody's here to tell us what's going on. Nobody's here to help with refueling. There are no spare parts to fix anything that needs fixing…"

Shera sighed. She'd heard the whole litany of things that were wrong with their current assignment multiple times on the way from Rocket Town. She didn't mind looking at Cid though. She could tune out his words so easily… She smiled.

"And what the hell are you _smiling_ about?!"

**A/N—When I started planning this story, I decided that Tessa would be at the same stage in her pregnancy as I had been in mine when her complications set in, 22 weeks. On 4/16/08, however, an article entitled "Study: Gender, other factors guide preemies' survival" appeared on the internet from the AP. It was horrifying. A study on 4,200 extremely premature infants born at hospitals across the U.S. had appeared in the **_**New England Journal of Medicine**_**. Of those births, half the children died within two years while 12 percent had severe physical or mental disabilities and an additional 12 percent were impaired (e.g., blind, deaf, or had cerebral palsy). Even more frightening for me was the finding that of babies born at 22 weeks, 95 percent died (at 23 weeks, about three quarters died; at 24 weeks, less than half died; at 25 weeks, only about a quarter died). I could have moved Tessa up to 25 weeks—I even considered changing biology on Gaia but decided against that (after all, once you start, where do you stop?)—but all this added potential complications to my story. I decided to go with it—Dr. Caperton became far more important as a character than I'd originally intended. Poor Tess and Seph, though. Talk about new parents being put through the wringer: would they take the extraordinary measures required to help the child survive?; how might Sephiroth react to fathering a physically less-than-perfect child?; would all this hurt their marriage? I'm still not sure. I guess we'll find out…**


	15. Tenshin

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine (the author formerly known as xXxValentinexXx), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—As I flew into DFW after my mom's surgery, a new Turk character wouldn't stop "picking" at me. Other than the last two sections, this chapter was started just over a week ago. I hope I got all the snags out, but probably not… It's the fifth day of Tessa's confinement, and the twenty-second week, fifth day of her pregnancy. The story continues with Carlos Griegos' team in Wutai—it starts 8 hours after the attack on Shinra in Midgar and at the same time as Chapter 14—and will touch on Marcus' fate near Gongaga…**

(12 midnight, Wutai; 4 am, Gongaga; 8 am, Midgar; 10 am, Mideel)

"The descent into darkness," that was what Tseng had called it. Could the name be any more ominous? Possibly, Carlos Griegos decided, but at the moment he couldn't think how.

Tseng had supplied Griegos with a list of three secret tunnel exits out of Wutai palace, all of which emerged on the far side of the complex away from the thousand-foot-high cliff where the palace perched. However, the team had confirmed what Tseng had suspected–that the Wutainese knew that Tseng knew of those entrances and had closed them to Shinra incursions. Other than having their potential entries blocked, Griegos' luck, so far, had held. They had been able to avoid Wutainese troops and civilians, even cows, as they covered the fifteen miles to Wutai City from their own escape tunnel from the Soldier base.

As a last resort, Tseng had listed one other option for entry. This final option, however, would not get them into the palace per se. Instead they would attempt to infiltrate the High Shrine from below. The Wutainese priesthood used a series of caves as part of their spiritual training and had done so probably for millennia. Before becoming full-fledged priests, candidates descended into the caves for three days of "spiritual examination" in total darkness. When they returned—if they returned, and some didn't—the candidates were "reborn" into the light and took their final vows. What Tseng proposed for Griegos was that his commando team attempt to enter the shrine/palace complex via the caves. Would this then be their "ascent into light"? Griegos pondered the possibility. Just as long as it lead them to their ultimate goal, the capture of Godo and his daughter, even possibly Genesis Rhapsodos, the way could lead through hell for all Griegos cared. According to Tseng the caves could be entered from outside the cliff face.

Yes, this was the place. Col. Griegos studied a two-foot-wide hole in the ground with water bubbling out of it, double checked the coordinates and compass in his hands, then glanced at his second-in-command. Bill Wallace gave him a stiff nod in response. According to Tseng, Tenshin stream flowed out of the hole from an underground lake. From the lake they could make their way through the caves and emerge inside the ancient High Shrine. Tseng had said he had discovered the route when he was a child and that to his knowledge the hole where Tenshin stream emerged had never been guarded. It was time to squeeze into that hole. Hm. Griegos took off his shoulder guards and sword and handed them off to his second, put his knife between his teeth, and began to crawl into the stream. They were all about to get very wet…

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Half a mile back into the cliff face, Griegos' thoroughly soaked and disheveled team came face-to-face with Tseng's underground lake. Someone set materia aglow to give light to the cave. Everyone paused for a few moments drinking in the beauty of the lake cavern. It was spectacular. Stalactites hung down from the ceiling while stalagmites pointed up from the floor "rushing" to meet them. The rocks were banded with pink and yellow. The water of the lake, however, was an eerie deep green in the materia light.

"Tenshin," Carlos Griegos thought as he looked at the lake, "Heaven heart, maybe?" Even though he was commander of the Wutai base for Shinra, Griegos' Wutainese was "limited," to say the least. "Have to ask Akita, when we get out of here." Jens Akita, a new third class, was half-Wutainese, looked native, and spoke the language fluently. Griegos spread his hands apart, palms out, in the Soldier sign for "spread out." Half his team went right, and the other half went left around the lake shore. As they walked, one of the black-leather clad Turks started a flame with a lighter—probably the stocky, ugly one, code-named "Digital." To Griegos, the man was a complaining nuisance. Digital, at the moment, however, was studying his flame intently rather than talking. There were a number of tunnels with water trickling through them entering the lake cavern. As he walked about in front of the tunnels, the lighter's flame burned steadily. As Digital passed in front of one narrow tunnel entrance, however, the lighter's flame started jumping about. Digital jerked his head toward this tunnel. Fresh air was coming from outside.

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Carlos Griegos tilted his head to look up through a narrow tunnel stretching away into darkness. The walls were slick with moisture and possessed only slight indentations for potential hand holds that he could see. Griegos turned back to his people to consider whom to send up this nightmare wormhole. "Who," he thought, "has the best upper body strength? Probably Cho…" After a nod and hand signs to Cho Lee, Cho jumped about fifteen feet into the tunnel then stuck out his hands and feet and began spider climbing up the walls. As Cho climbed, Griegos could occasionally see him dig his fingers into small cracks in the wall, but for the most part Cho kept his palms flush. With his hands and feet secure, Cho was soon able to push off with a short jump of about ten feet. Next Ted Stanley and Tom Danzen joined Cho in the tube. Soon the three had a rhythm going as they moved upward. About fifty feet up the tunnel turned, and his men disappeared from view. Ten minutes later Ted Stanley slid down the chute with ropes wound about his waist.

Stanley whispered, "about a hundred feet up, this tunnel expands into a long gallery. We can pull people up with ropes if we need to." Griegos nodded and began motioning his people upward. Ropes were tied about the waists of the five non-Soldiers. When it came the turn of the second Turk, a freckle-faced, red-headed young woman, code-named Analog ("An" for short), her partner, Digital, stepped forward eagerly to tie the rope around her waist. She grimaced but didn't stop him. When Digital finished, however, An stomped his toes with one foot, reached behind his head, smashed his face onto her opposite knee, and bloodied his nose. "Pervert. Serves you right, Dij," she whispered. Griegos and his remaining Soldiers looked at the woman in surprise, then Griegos smiled slightly. Analog was not only attractive, she could take care of herself, it seemed. Digital smirked and shook his head then wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand.

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The rest of the climb was repetitive—narrow, near vertical, wormholes followed by galleries rising less steeply—with one of his men checking the airflow direction when the tunnels forked or when selecting a wormhole to follow from a gallery. At the end of yet another gallery, Griegos squinted at his watch, tilting it to catch the materia light. They'd been in these tunnels nearly two hours. They had to be getting close to the exit. They had found moss-covered skeletons in the last two galleries.

Suddenly Cho Lee appeared before him and gave the signs for "door" and "ahead." Griegos gave the "acknowledged" sign, and then jerked his head sideways at the nearby Turks signaling them to follow Cho. With stiff nods of their own, the three set out, Griegos following. "Mental note to self," Griegos thought, "recommend cross-training Turks in Soldier hand signals."

Around a bend was an ornamental, woven-metal screen door tilted across their path with hinges that seemed to be attached to the outside rock. Through the weave Griegos could make out a small room with two rows of stone benches facing the screen as if the occupants could use them to await the return of the priestly candidates. Digital and Analog were already examining the ornamental door for locks and booby-traps. Nodding to each other, An backed off. Griegos considered wrenching the door and hinges out of the rock but decided instead to open it quietly and protect his escape route.

Digital smirked and rubbed his hands together. This would be a bit tricky as the front of the lock was on the outside of the door, but it was old, very large, and had an opening to the tumblers on the backside as well. He and An had detected no booby-traps or alarms on the door. Digital pulled out a set of well-worn lock picks. Only Reno was better at locks than Digital. If locks were electronic, then Digital even had the advantage. If they were old-fashioned, mechanical contractions, however, like the present specimen, then Digital conceded that Reno had the edge when it came to opening such items. But he'd make no such concessions in front of Soldiers! Digital inserted a lock pick, then a second pick into the lock, delicately twisted his first pick and heard a soft opening "snick." Ah, that did it. He glanced back at that stiff, Griegos, behind him, and breathed a soft expression, "oops!" At Griegos' startled look, Digital lifted the screen door just barely open with a smirk and bowed with a flourish of his hand. Griegos frowned, "Note to self: delete last note on Soldier-Turk cooperation." Griegos bowed his head at Digital and waved, with a smirk of his own, "after you." Digital nodded and walked out the door. Of course, he was first. Turks should always be first.

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"Cameras and lighting," Col. Griegos thought as he stood at a side door to the shrine, judging his timing, waiting for a cloud to cross the crescent moon, feeling like he was directing a movie waiting for his lighting people to do their jobs.

In more peaceful times, Shinra had agreed to not put video cameras in the High Shrine as a courtesy to Wutai, possibly convinced that the fifty or so clergy usually in residence there would be little threat to Shinra. Otherwise, up until recently, Shinra video cameras, rather obvious ones, had covered much of the rest of the palace and its grounds. The cameras were linked to a guard post. When Wutai had rebelled, however, the monitoring post had been an early victim, and Wutainese troops had taken it over. Whether Wutai was watching the interior of its own capital any longer, Griegos was uncertain; however, he wasn't about to take any chances. While _most_ of the Shinra cameras fed to that guard post, a few—strategically located, and extremely well hidden—fed back to the Soldier base. By giving the Wutainese a few "safe" corridors without obvious cameras, clandestine activities had been pushed into those corridors and had thus been monitored by Soldier. Even the night that Princess Yuffie had been confirmed, troops monitoring the "safe corridor" had seen two people furtively moving across their screens to the shrine—the pair, however, had not been recognized by the personnel on duty. Griegos' dilemma stemmed from an assumption. He knew that none of the concealed cameras had been touched by Wutai as, at least up until two days ago, base headquarters had still been seeing normal palace activity. Could he assume, however, that the Wutainese had not adjusted Soldier's_ obvious_ cameras to view the "safe corridors"?

"There's no choice." Griegos thought to himself. "They have to go." The colonel didn't want to split his team, but there was no other way. He signaled Bill Wallace to head out on a safe corridor. Wallace made eye contact with each of his team members—Tom Danzen, Jerry Aman, and Analog—then hit the doorway at a quiet dead run. Upon the "all clear" signal, Griegos would take the remainder—Lee, Stanley, Akita, Digital, and a grunt—to the imperial family's sleeping quarters. Griegos would leave two grunts behind in the shrine to secure it against incursion.

Twenty minutes later Griegos felt his PHS vibrate twice in his pocket then stop—the "all clear" signal. Now Wallace had control of Wutai's eyes. Griegos made eye contact with his people—dead run time.

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Next obstacle—getting to the imperial family's sleeping quarters. Tseng had supplied this information too, and a plan to go via the kitchens and back staircases. With the monitoring station now in Soldier's hands, they should have an easier time of moving through the palace.

The side door they entered lead directly into the kitchens. Leaving the last grunt to keep guard, Griegos lead his team through a large kitchen complete with tall tables, hanging pots, and glinting knives. At the far swinging double doors, they paused. Griegos and Cho pressed ears to the wooden doors of a butler's pantry, and their enhanced Soldier hearing easily detected a guard breathing on the other side. Griegos signaled Cho to take him out, quick and quiet. Cho pulled a knife from a sheath at his side. He was through the door and slicing the man's throat before the guard took another breath, Stanley right behind him to grab the guard's gun before it clattered to the floor. Cho stood the man against a wall, and Stanley set the gun near his hand. To a cursory inspection, the guard would seem unchanged. Griegos moved ahead. Digital gave Cho an approving nod then moved with Griegos to the next room. This time Digital took out the guard with a garrote he pulled from a pocket, and Akita caught the weapon. With each occupied room, the routine was repeated. Next they moved quietly up the narrow servants' staircase.

Finally, after more rooms and halls, the team arrived at a servant's entrance to the emperor's personal suite. This door, however, was probably booby-trapped. Griegos held his Soldiers back and nodded the Turk forward. Digital, the gnome, smirked, shook his head briefly, then pulled a tiny flashlight from a hidden pocket. Shielding the light with one hand, he panned its tiny beam around the edges. Yep. Locked, alarmed, and trapped, alright. He jerked his head backwards at Griegos who moved all the team members away from the door. Digital then gave the Soldier hand signs for "keep back," "locked," "trapped," "explosives," and "fifteen minutes." Griegos looked at the gnome in shock. Digital smirked as if to say "Yeah, who did you think made up those hand signs in the first place anyway?" Turning back to his project, Digital went to work.

Griegos was surprised, but there was no help for it now. Let the Turk do his job.

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On schedule Digital cracked open the door with no alarms or explosions being heard. Studying the area ahead, the Turk and the Soldier could see that across two rooms a very large, canopied bed stood on a raised dais. Heavy closed draperies hung from the canopy, blocking the bed from sight. Between them and the bed, two guards with machine guns stood facing each other at the end of the second room. Griegos shook his head. The men were too far away to be rushed. Instead Griegos signaled for Stanley, an excellent shot, to take the guards out with his silenced pistol. Griegos and the others crouched in readiness to catch the guards and get to the bed as quickly as they could.

It went as planned. Digital went to the bed first, however, and checked the area for alarms that the emperor could activate. Yes. There was one—easily disposed of. Then they heard it—a ripping belch broke the silence of the suite—followed by a relieved sigh from behind a nearby door. Griegos gave the sign for "scatter." He moved to put his back against the wall nearest where the door would open and pulled his knife while Cho took the other side. If this were the emperor, Griegos wanted to take him alive at all costs. A toilet flushed, and then water ran. Badly off-key humming was next. Griegos and Cho exchanged looks then both shook their heads. Griegos rather thought the song was the Wutainese national anthem, but he wouldn't have put money on that bet. The door between the two Soldiers creaked open, and a tall, broad man with dark hair in a long night shirt stepped from what was clearly a bathroom, yawning, heading in the direction of the bed.

"Don't move." Godo felt a knife at his throat.

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"She's not here!" Godo, his arms bound, struggled to free himself even in the face of several captors. "The princess has gone to join her unit."

"Quiet." Cho pressed his knife closer to Godo's throat. "Rhapsodos?"

Godo pressed his lips tight together in a grimace. "Left three days ago… Didn't even marry her!"

Griegos signed, "enough." Digital plunged a needle into Godo's neck, and the emperor of Wutai toppled sideways into Cho's arms.

Stanley and Digital went to the girl's room, but as Godo had insisted, the princess's quarters were empty. Griegos considered. His orders were to capture both Emperor Godo and Princess Yuffie, but she was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she really was gone. His orders had not specified Rhapsodos. Griegos had hoped to take care of three birds with one stone, but the former Soldier didn't seem to be present. Griegos made a decision. He gave the hand sign for "retreat," and his troops headed to the shrine, and home, with their prize.

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(9 am, Gongaga; 5 am, Wutai; 1 pm, Midgar; 3 pm, Mideel)

In reactor 20, Marcus' entire world was pain. Every sensation began, was, and ended with pain—particularly if he let consciousness creep in. Marcus considered running from the pain, letting it win. Perhaps in the Lifestream there would not be so much pain. But there would be sadness. He could not bear to leave Nathan behind. He didn't think Nathan had left his side. Now he could hear Nathan talking with Bilson. He knew they were desperately worried—and not just about him…

"That explosion ripped him to pieces, Nathan. We were lucky to be able to put him back together with the materia they had on the transport. We've searched the reactor high and low for heal materia. Nothing… I know you can feel him slipping away…" Bilson paused, shook his head, and looked sorrowfully at his friend, "I hate to say it, but… Maybe you should say _good-bye_ while you still can…"

"I can't… I _won't_ accept that, Bilson!" Nathan snarled. "Marcus and I have been together for far too long for me to give up now. He'd sacrifice everything for me. I'm willing to do the same for him…"

"What are you thinking, Nathan? If personal courage could save him, he'd be up and walking now… The transport's been damaged by Matthews' attacks; the monsters are back outside; we've tried civilian channels on the radio and PHSs but all we've learned is that Wutai is in rebellion, _every_ reactor is being hit by monsters, and there was a terrorist bombing last night on the Shinra building in Midgar—no one wants to aid Soldiers or reactor personnel. At this rate, we may all starve..."

"All the more reason to get out of here!" Nathan considered. If Marcus were with them, he was sure they could defeat Matthews and the remainder of his clones and his monsters outside, but again the problem came back to Marcus' life. They were cut off, and the reactor was… the reactor… was… Nathan felt his jaw drop, and he stared aghast at Bilson, then he smiled. Bilson's eyes widened at Nathan's smile. It was the first such smile he'd seen on the lieutenant colonels' face in a week. "How could I be so _blind_?! Here we are sitting in the middle of a reactor, and we have no materia?! All we have to do is fire it up and _make_ some!"

"Nathan, I don't know anything about running a reactor! Do you?" Bilson was taken aback at the devilish gleam that had just come into Nathan's eye.

"Not a thing, but then…" He shrugged. _"How hard can it be?"_

If he could have moved, Marcus would have jumped up and objected, but, as it was, he couldn't lift a finger to stop his crazy friend.

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(5 am, Wutai; 9 am, Gongaga; 1 pm, Midgar; 3 pm, Mideel)

Carlos Griegos was angry at the sky. He'd never been angry at something insubstantial before. Like meteors streaking through the atmosphere, trails of ordinance occasionally whitened the pre-dawn darkness on their way to attack his base. The sight was making Griegos sick to his stomach, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

Jens Akita, his half-Wutainese third class, was driving a panel truck, their "getaway car." Hidden amidst the fruits and vegetables they were hauling, was Griegos' team and their prize, Emperor Godo, still unconscious. The team was now moving back in the direction of the base. They were a fair distance south of the direct line to the base, however, as they headed toward their copse of trees with its tunnel entrance.

Suddenly Griegos felt the truck lurch slightly and slow. "Colonel, could you come up here?" Akita spoke through a grill.

"What is it?" Griegos scrambled around crates and then carefully stepped over Analog with an apologetic smile at her before looking out through the grill.

"Up there. There's a car stopped on the side of the road."

"What of it? Just go around it."

"Well, sir, I could be mistaken, but doesn't it have imperial flags on its fenders?"

Griegos had to admit his vision was blurry, but when he narrowed his eyes, he could see the young man was right. He started to laugh softly, even slightly hysterically. "By George, you're right. We're going to call you eagle-eye from now on, Akita." Griegos turned to his team. "Everyone, get ready. There's a _diplomatic_ car up ahead. We're going to check it out."

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The panel truck pulled up nearly alongside the car staying in the road, rather than stopping behind it, and lighting the front of the car while keeping the truck in shadows. Akita put down the window. "Hey. You need any help over there?"

Two men in the military uniforms of Wutai were bent over an open engine compartment with a flashlight looking puzzled. One glared up hostilely at the young man in the truck, but the other flashed a quick smile and said, "Yeah, thanks! You know anything about engines? I think it's the battery, but I'm not sure."

"Not me, but my cousin in the back does. Just hang on a minute, and I'll get another flashlight." Akita turned to the grill and called so the Wutainese troops could hear, "Souma! We're gonna help these guys. Might be the battery." Akita leaned over as if opening the glove box but took out a flashlight from one of his pockets instead. "Come on."

Akita rounded the front of the truck, purposely shining the light in the men's eyes. Cho Lee, Akita's "cousin," jumped out of the back of the van. With the light in their faces, the men couldn't tell that Cho wasn't Wutainese; nor did they see the other Soldiers and Turks who silently jumped out of the back of the truck and initially stayed on its far side. With twelve-on-two odds, however, the Wutainese soldiers didn't stand a chance and were quickly silenced.

"All right. Let's see what we've got in here." Griegos had joined Akita at the car while the others took up defensive positions about the two automobiles. He signed for Akita to open the car door then shone in a flashlight.

Inside, a sleeping teenaged girl stirred, held her hand up to the light, and slitted open her eyes. "What's wrong, Gojo?"

"Sorry. I'm Akita. My cousin and I stopped to help fix your engine. We should be done in a few minutes. Are you okay?"

"Fine." The girl closed her eyes, put her cheek on her joined hands in the corner of the seat, and gave every indication of going right back to sleep.

Akita closed the door, looked up at his commander, and was startled at what he saw... There was such a look of happiness on Col. Griegos' face as Akita would not have thought possible with the Soldier base under assault. The colonel was _beaming_ at him. "Mr. Akita. _You_ are brilliant!"

"Hunh? I'm sorry, sir, but… _what_?"

Griegos' smile broadened at Akita's confusion. "Don't you think you should invite _Princess Yuffie _to join us on our trip home?"

**A/N— I want to say thank you to everyone who made comments and suggestions about my 22****nd**** week of pregnancy situation. You've given me much food for thought! Some things I'd already considered, and some were completely new angles! THANKS AGAIN!**

**For Bjanik and anyone else who is "angsting" about Reno and Rude—tune in next week!**

**On a completely unrelated topic, has anyone out there wondered about this? When you have a planet without earth-type animals, how can you "kill two birds with one stone," have "eagle eyes," or "spider climb," much less have cows to avoid? Indeed, without pigs or ponies, how can you have "pigtails" or "ponytails"? Do you suppose that spiky hair is the Gaians' way of imitating chocobo feathers? Angeal Valentine tells me that I can use the earth-animal phrases more in the style of "translations," and that "Mom, Gaia does have worms, so you can have 'wormholes' though they're about sixty feet across." It probably doesn't matter at all, but I just thought I'd ask…**


	16. New Banora

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—When I wrote "A Belated Wedding Gift," I did it as background to explore how Shinra took over the world. When it was done, I debated whether it was a stand-alone piece or whether to make it another chapter of "Part II." I decided it didn't advance the overall story, and therefore I pushed it off to the side. When I got to "New Banora," however, I suddenly found the connection. It's in the character of Lynette Hiland, a woman who's never left the island of Mideel! Interesting how these things work out. I suppose I should go back and re-merge "Belated" into the main story between chapters 3 and 4 (along with "Sweaty Yoga: Part II," between chapters 2 and 3), but I think I'll leave things the way they are…**

**It's still the fifth day of Tessa's confinement, and the twenty-second week, fifth day of her pregnancy. It's just an hour later than where we left off in Chapter 15, but we're now near Mideel with Reno and Rude…**

(5 pm – 7 pm, Mideel; 3 pm – 5 pm, Midgar; 11 am – 1 pm, Gongaga; 7 am – 9 am, Wutai)

Reno was back on the boat. The whole world was rocking, again. "Damn, I hate ships," he thought.

"Wake up, partner!" He felt himself shaken roughly.

"Hn? What? What's going on?" Reno located the floor, and then Rude's face swam into view.

"Come on, stand up!" Rude hauled Reno to his feet. How Rude did that one-handed, Reno wasn't sure. As he glanced around, he could see that he and Rude were in a small metal room with a metal door and a tiny grid at eye level. There were no windows and only one small vent high in the wall opposite the door, certainly too small to crawl through.

"How long were we out, yo?"

"Not sure, but I think they stuck us with something. I kinda remember bathroom breaks, but, judging by how you smell, I'd say we've been out at least a couple of days, maybe even three or four." Rude glanced at a corner of the metal room. He'd just bet there was a camera up there, and they'd soon have company. Listening carefully, he heard it. "Hear that?"

"Yeah."

In the distance the pair could hear footsteps moving closer, almost in step, then the faint sound of tumblers turning in the lock in the door. A quick glance at their outfits told Reno that all their pockets, and Rude's left sleeve, had been emptied—only one way out then, with only their wits and bodies as tools. Fine.

"Well, Mr. Lowell… I must say, I liked you better with hair." A young woman with long strawberry-blond hair, curled at its tips just at bottoms of her shoulder blades, entered the metal room with four burly black-clad men behind her. Rude remembered her vaguely as Lynette Hiland's secretary. His eyes narrowed. He and Reno might be able to take on five opponents, but then again, they might just learn something if they went along with their captors for the moment. After all the Apple Townians hadn't yet tried to kill them. Then too, there was that camera watching… He glanced at Reno. The ever inquisitive Reno would go along with this, for the moment. "And just who is your friend?"

"_I_ am _Reynold Sinclair_." Reno slid right into one of his aliases, flashed the woman one of his charming smiles, and extended his hand. "And who are you, my dear?"

"Oh no, Mr. Sinclair." She stepped aside. "Bind _his_ hands and arms, and tie down Mr. Lowell's arm and sleeve to his side. You're both coming with me." She turned, "this way…"

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As they walked, Reno kept on charming her, and the woman kept putting him off, but both Turks could see that occasionally her lips pressed together as if stifling a smile. Rude decided she might be interested in Reno, but his partner was trying just a little too hard. Or perhaps she was enjoying his game. Rude instead kept a watchful eye out for his surroundings and the directions they took. The whole area seemed dark and underground, mainly made of concrete with large corridors and widely-spaced doors labeled with things like "John III" and "William IV" and "Cynthia II" then later many rooms marked with numbered "G"s and "A"s. In their turns and twists Rude saw no stairways that lead up. Not good. Keep going…

Finally the corridor opened up, and they found themselves on a landing above a shimmering mako pool, several times larger than the Nibelheim reactor pool, with lots of plumbing all around. The pool looked natural—as if the Apple Townians had taken over a cavern and turned it into their headquarters. Couldn't be a reactor, though, Mideel was unstable. A reactor would sink the island—at least that was the conventional wisdom. A small reactor, just big enough to power this place, might be possible, though. Their guide turned right, and on their right they saw a large window that overlooked the landing and the pool. Lynette Hiland stood looking down through the window then looked up as she saw the group approaching, clearly expecting them. She came out to meet them.

"Mr. Lowell? Why hair? You are _much_ more interesting looking this way." Rude felt an elbow in his ribs from Reno. "Who are you really? _That_ one couldn't possibly be a lawyer," indicating Reno. Reno grinned. "See?... Oh yes. _This_ is yours." She raised her hand that Rude now saw held his "law firm's" envelope. She folded it neatly in half and placed it in one of the pockets on his chest. "Londo owed me so much more than money. I won't take _just_ that from Shinra."

"Owed you? What did he owe you, Ms. Hiland?" Gently, Rude thought. She seemed to want to say something.

"_His family_ owes me my life back. _My_ family back… A _lifetime_ of happiness."

"His _family_? I'm sorry. I don't understand."

"You want an explanation… a story… I'm afraid," she paused, "it's _pure soap opera_… Old Lucius Shinra forbade Londo to marry me. Said he would disown Londo if he did." She turned and walked away to place her hands on the landing's railing. She sighed, clearly seeing a time long past rather than the mako pool below her. "Londo was an engineer, scouting sites for mako reactors, when I met him in Mideel. Back then, he was young, brilliant, handsome, yes, and rich too. Everything a girl fresh from the country would dream of. Knowing the area surrounding Mideel, I showed him around. Suddenly I was in love with him, and he said he loved me as well. When I found I was pregnant, he asked me to marry him. When he contacted his family to let them know, however, his father let him know, in no uncertain terms, that he was _not_ to marry me. Lucius wanted to strengthen his ties with the old landed gentry around Midgar. Seems they saw the Shinras as 'gauche, nouveau riche.' Lucius was looking for a marriage for Londo among them… a 'von Trott' perhaps… I was never clear on whom… Londo wouldn't _publicly_ defy his father, so we married in secret. Then he went back to Midgar.

"When his father died, Londo didn't send for me and Gillian though he sent _money_ regularly. It was years later, after he married in Midgar, that I finally heard from him again. He came back to Banora with a man named Vester Hollander in tow, _but he wanted Gillian_. Said he would give me five percent of Shinra, if Gillian would marry Hollander. I didn't want money—I'd only ever wanted _him_—so he stayed, and sweet Gillian married Vester Hollander…"

"Bastard… You know he had another son, outside his marriage, in addition to Rufus?"

"Oh yes. Londo told me—Lazard, who died last year. Hollander experimented on him too. We were all Londo's property. We are what he made us… What _Lucius_ made us, I suppose, in the end…"

"'Experimented on'?"

"Yes." Lynette Hiland turned, faced the Turks, and laid her forearm on the railing. "Londo wanted something he called super-Soldiers to increase the power of Shinra. Soon after Gillian married him, Hollander started injecting her with mako and something he called 'Jenova' that he'd gotten from some other part of Shinra. He also added Jenova and mako to her fertilized eggs then implanted them in the wife of the mayor of Banora. One survived and grew into Genesis Rhapsodos. Gillian's baby was my sweet grandson, Angeal. Soon after Angeal was born, Gillian had had enough of Hollander and remarried. It was all right. Londo had already got what he wanted.

"Both boys were outstanding physically, and Hollander and Londo influenced them to become Soldiers. Hollander even developed clones of the boys—trying to improve on their traits, I suppose… Anyway, the day came when the experiments got out of hand, and even Londo could see it had to end. But in the process, he destroyed Gillian… the entire town… and nearly our relationship."

"You took him _back_?! After all that? Are you crazy?!" Rude was incredulous.

"Perhaps..." She looked rather sad. "Anyway, Londo _tried_ to give me some of my life back. He had Hollander clone everyone I held dear from wherever he could get the genetic material. In a way, I had my life back. So now I'm surrounded by William Rhapsodos's and Shara Klingmans' and even Randall Hewleys'—most of the town of Banora, in fact. Even Genesis Rhapsodos's… and especially Angeal Hewleys'…" her voice trailed off, and she raised her head and looked into the shadows on the far side of the landing. "Isn't that right, dear?"

"Yes, exactly." A tall, broad-shouldered, very thick-muscled man with black slicked-back hair and two long bangs stepped from the shadows to take her hand. "Grandmother." The Turks looked at each other. Angeal Hewley. Couldn't be the real one, though. Tseng said Hewley was dead—killed by Zack Fair. Where was a First Class Soldier when you needed one?

"Now, now. Haven't we given you everything you wanted that it was in our power to give?" from behind them came another voice. The Turks turned. A slightly shorter, slimmer, bronze-haired man in a red coat with a sword protruding above his shoulder walked from the tunnel followed by a middle-aged, bearded man in a lab coat—Genesis Rhapsodos and Vester Hollander. Rude could feel a bit of sweat trickle down his back at the sound. If it were the real Rhapsodos, he might recognize them.

"Yes, and I'm sure you'll give me all the rest of it too."

"Dear Lynette, _wherever_ did you get the Turks?"

"Gracious, then _that _is what these two are? We caught them snooping around on the surface."

"Hm. Contact Hutchins in Mideel about these two. I suggest you take some samples from them, then send them to disposal." Rhapsodos dismissed the Turks without a second glance. "Lynette, I have wonderful news for you. We have a guest on the way who may well solve all our problems."

Lynette Hiland looked at Rhapsodos curiously. "Hm. All right." She glanced at her secretary and the black-clad men still standing around. "Vanessa, take these two to the sample preparation room." She paused and linked her arm through Rhapsodos', gazed happily into his eyes, then said almost as an afterthought, "Hollander, I assume _you'll_ be going with them." Reno thought he caught a flush of anger from Hollander at her words.

"Yes, of course." Hollander mumbled then shuffled away.

As the two Turks were lead away, they listened intently to the fading conversation behind them.

"So tell me about this guest!" Lynette Hiland and Genesis Rhapsodos were happily strolling about the landing.

"It's someone carrying _Jenova tissue!_ Would you believe that _Sephiroth_ is _married_, _and_ his wife is _five months pregnant_! Our people in Midgar have acquired her, and she should be here shortly!"

"Oh, _I don't believe it_! I thought Sephiroth was _sterile!_"

Rude and Reno looked at each other. Tessa!

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"Mr. Sinclair, just what were _Turks_ doing in Banora, anyway?" The strawberry-blond Vanessa had resumed her conversation with Reno.

"Why, looking for you, my dear." Rude was sure Reno would have reached out and taken her hand to kiss it even under these threatening circumstances—if his hands hadn't been tied, that is.

"Why, what a nice thing to say, Mr. Sinclair. I can't wait for you to meet my sisters."

"You have sisters?! And are they all as lovely as you?" Rude rolled his eyes.

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact. They're all _identical_ to me. They'll _just_ eat you up!" she smirked.

They followed Hollander into a room marked "Sample Preparation" that turned out to be a laboratory filled with tables, some with manacles attached to them, and many tubes, some occupied. Several young, lab-coated women looked up from their work at the benches. Reno instantly noticed that their hair, while in many different styles, was all strawberry blond.

"Your 'sisters' by any chance?"

"Yes, indeed, they are. Vanessas," she called, "come meet Mr. Sinclair," she pointed to Reno, "and Mr. Lowell," pointing to Rude. The young women looked mesmerized by the men's presence. Reno could hear the words "new" and "real" being mumbled by the women as they walked over to the men, reaching out to touch them. The original Vanessa turned to leave, though she didn't take her bodyguards with her. "Have fun!" Rude wasn't sure whether she meant Reno or the women.

Reno stopped short. "Pinch me," he whispered to Rude. "I think I'm dead and in the Lifestream!"

"_Now stop that!"_ Hollander interposed his body and blocked the Vanessas. "Get back to your work!"

"Ah, darn." The disappointed women turned away.

"_Clones._ They're always so very interested in normal humans—particularly humans of the opposite sex. _Especially,_ the Vanessas… and _so_ like the _original_ in that regard." Hollander sneered. He turned to the Turks. "In New Banora they don't see many regular people. Being genetically identical themselves, they tend to wonder about genetic combinations with normal humans..."

"Excuse me." Reno stepped in front of Hollander as he moved to a bench standing alone to one side of the room. "I thought cloning was a haphazard, one-chance-in-ten sort of operation. Yet there are, what, _ten_ Vanessas in this room?"

"You want an _explanation?!_" Hollander looked as though an experimental worm had sat up and started talking. "Oh all right. Since you're leaving us shortly, I'll explain… If you're used to _Hojo's_ form of cloning, you're right. One-in-ten odds on getting a viable clone were as good as that _quack_ ever got. Called himself a 'professor' and even 'doctor.' Of what? Did no one ever check his _references_?! Apparently not! Then he had the _gall_…"

"Doctor, please, you were saying…" Reno interrupted the rant.

"What? Oh? Oh yes… With _my_ cloning techniques, I achieve about a one-in-three chance of viability. With that many clones, you begin to detect generalities in their characteristics and personalities. Some of the personality traits and memories of the original enter the clones—not surprising, especially if the original is dead. Pieces of the original's personality divide from the Lifestream and enter the clones. Their physical abilities vary—some are clumsy, some are especially skilled but strangely vulnerable. Only very rarely are the copies as capable as the originals in physical characteristics. Also, _Hojo was a cretin_. He could speed growth to only about double the normal rate. _I _can speed growth at _twenty times_ normal. The young women you see here are only about a year old. They're very curious—in a _childish_ sort of way…"

A Vanessa with pigtails high on both sides of her head approached Rude and felt his empty sleeve, "Why don't you have an arm?"

"See what I mean?" Hollander sneered. "Get back to work!" he shouted at her.

The Vanessa pouted, flounced away with her pigtails bouncing, and joined several of her "sisters." In a minute the group was back, surrounding Hollander. "We want to play!" they demanded of the scientist.

Hollander rolled his eyes, "Oh all right—but hurry! I need to run these two through disposal shortly."

"Yay!" a general cheer went up from the Vanessas. All the clones in the room surrounded the Turks and began pulling on the ropes binding them.

"Not in here! Through there!" Hollander pointed imperiously to a door on the other side of the room, and the women dragged their captives behind them. Hollander shook his head in disgust, _"Clones!"_

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In the back room, a large store room filled with boxes, Rude spotted it immediately—a vent big enough to crawl through—and Reno saw it too. A glance of agreement passed between them.

"_Ladies!_ Would any of you be willing to help me out of these ropes? We could play a _game_ then? _No_? Well then, how about helping me out of my _shoes_?" Rude had no idea what Reno was up to, but he welcomed the distraction. Rude headed in the direction of the vent. The clone that had asked about his arm followed him.

"What are you doing?" Pigtails asked.

Rude thought fast. If the clones were as immature as Hollander indicated, they might like to play with blocks. "Would you like to help me? I'm going to move some boxes around."

"OK!"

Rude pushed three boxes together with his feet and legs then indicated a fourth with his chin, "Could you lift this one for me? Then put it right here, say?"

"Sure!" Pigtails placed the box where Rude indicated—on top the three he had previously arranged.

"Let's move this one next."

"OK!" Gradually they built a tower of boxes toward the vent, Rude supervising and the clone lifting.

"I know your name is Vanessa, but do you have a separate name?"

"I'm Vanessa #7."

Rude surveyed their structure with satisfaction; now to ditch his helper and get out. "Well then, Vanessa-7. Shall we join your sisters for a few minutes and see what they're up to?" They returned to Reno's group. It seemed Reno had worked his feet up under the ropes and was gradually loosening them and teasing the clones at the same time. Seeing that Rude had finished his building project, Reno launched into a new spiel.

"Now, _ladies_, would you like to learn a game? It's called 'rock, paper, scissors'!" Oohs and aahs erupted from the clones. They seemed not to notice that Reno was now using his hands freely to show them the motions for the game. Within minutes, all the Vanessas were playing. "Have you kept score? _No_?" Reno smiled, "well then, we'll need a pen and paper! Does anyone have any?" Several of the clones had pens and notepads. Reno helped them keep score. He occasionally pointed to a paper with one hand, untied Rude with the other, and passed him pens.

Rude climbed up to the vent. In his building operation, Rude had included a wall of boxes to block the vent from the clones' view on the floor. He didn't have long, but he should be able to get the grate off the wall with the use of the pens—even one-handed. Rude smirked. He had spent hours on end in the gym in order to strengthen his right hand and arm until they had become extremely strong. Reno, on the other hand, had moved on to the intricacies of "tick, tack, toe" with the entranced Vanessas—scorekeeping it as well. With the pens and nubs of his fingernails, Rude was able to unscrew four screws from the wall. Bits of cement were beginning to chip about the edge of the grate. Just as long as no one coughed, it should be okay. Rude stifled a sneeze—he expected the top of his head to blow off. Prizing his fingers under the edges, first top then bottom, and repeating several times, Rude levered the grate away from the wall. Just as it was about to come out, Rude jammed it with his head and shoulder to keep it from falling to the floor. Rude looked down from his box tower to see Reno with one eye on him and the other on his "tick, tack, toe" class.

"_Ladies,_ now for another game! _Hangman!"_

"Ooh!"

Ten minutes later the pair was crawling through the ventilation shaft. Rude didn't see Vanessa-7 pouting at his disappearing feet nor at the grate as Reno fitted it behind them into the wall.

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(7 am, Wutai; 11 am, Gongaga; 5 pm, Mideel; 3 pm, Midgar; 2 pm, Junon)

Colonel Carlos Griegos breathed a huge sigh of relief. His team was safe inside their tunnels and on their way back to the besieged base, with their prisoners. He was truly looking forward to reporting to General Sephiroth on the _complete_ success of his mission. He glanced at his watch—one hour until his next scheduled update…

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(11 am, Gongaga; 7 am, Wutai; 5 pm, Mideel; 3 pm, Midgar; 2 pm, Junon)

Of the six reactors at Reactor 20, only one produced materia. The other five were strictly power generators. Nathan sighed. He'd at least learned that much about Reactor 20 in his hour-long quest to produce healing materia. He stood with Bilson at the door of the #6 materia-producing reactor building, looked inside, and tried to decide what was what and where to start. The "materia reactor" used the power produced by the #6 reactor to compress mako into materia within a pressure-cooker-like "reaction chamber." The type of materia you got depended in large measure on pure luck, although capturing an entity within compressed red materia was a rare feat. While the power reactors were offline to the outside world, they hadn't been turned off, only turned down. All right, start with turning the power up.

"_That_ has to be the pressure chamber over there," Nathan mumbled then pointed at a kettle-like structure with one enormous pipe running through the middle of it to supply mako on the far side of the room. "That thing's the size of a small car."

"Guess so. You _sure_ you want to do this?" Bilson questioned.

"I don't really have a choice, do I? Are you ready?"

"No, but you're going to do this anyway."

The two Soldiers worked their way between pipes and equipment stands to approach a slanted, waist-level counter covered in knobs and dials and indicator needles near the pressure chamber. Nathan checked the indicators to determine the current pressure and volume of mako inside the chamber and the current electrical power input level. From what he could tell, power input was minimal. He laid his hand on one of the control knobs and turned it slightly to increase the power input when a voice rang out.

"What in the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!"

Nathan smiled. There was one at every equipment-heavy facility on Gaia. The head technician, that guardian of technological equipment everywhere, had appeared…

Cccccccccccccccc

(2 pm, Junon; 3 pm, Midgar; 5 pm, Mideel; 11 am, Gongaga; 7 am, Wutai)

"_What in the hell…! &(#)(&#)&!(W#!!"_ Cid Highwind, eloquent as ever, had just read the instructions handed to him from his new boss, Reeve Tuesti, and stared open-mouthed at his passengers. "SHIT FIRE!! _Sher-ra!!_ Get the tanker to back off _just as soon_ as they're done refueling us! Close up the hatches, people! We are going to goddamn Mideel! _I'm_ taking the fuckin' wheel!"

**A/N—I wanted to thank Bjanik for her wonderful detailed discussion of story elements in fanfiction. Just because we've not seen pigs or ponies on Gaia doesn't mean they don't exist. After all, maybe that's where Griegos' team was hiding out last week (e.g., in a pigsty rather than a chocobo barn) as they evaded patrols, peasants, and "cows." Thank you, everyone, for reading!**


	17. Arrivals

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—In case you didn't catch the hint at the beginning of Chapter 16, go back and re-read "Belated Wedding Gift" for the reference to a "von Trott" that Londo was supposed to marry. Bjanik and I subsequently have had extended discussions as to the family connections of the Shinras, Valentines, and von Trotts. Fascinating stuff.**

**We are continuing from where we left off—New Banora, 7:00 pm Mideel time, with Reno and Rude**. **It's still the fifth day of Tessa's confinement, and the twenty-second week, fifth day of her pregnancy. This chapter also contains a lemon. The beginning and ending are indicated so you can skip it if you wish.**

(7 - 9 p, Mideel; 5 - 7 p, Midgar; 4 – 6 p, Junon; 1 – 3 p, Gongaga; 9 -11 a, Wutai)

"How you holdin' up there, partner?" Reno looked over his shoulder at Rude crawling along using one arm behind him. They had escaped from Hollander's laboratory but had found no way to the surface of New Banora.

"Fine—_just_ great." Rude was not making good time in their get-away. There had been twists and turns through the vents, but so far there had been no "hue and cry" as to their escape. Presumably the Vanessas were still playing hangman. Reno and Rude weren't in the clear _yet_ though.

"There's a greenish light off to the left up ahead, yo. I'm gonna take a look." To Reno this light looked a little more promising than that in the rooms they'd been passing, all of which seemed to go nowhere. As he crawled up to this vent, he found it looked out on the mako chamber they'd seen earlier—directly below them was the end of the landing where they'd stood, while below and to the left was the mako pool. Not exactly a way out, but… Across the big room Genesis Rhapsodos and Lynette Hiland were still talking together with burly, black-garbed body guards nearby. "Rude, come up here!"

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"_GE-NE-SIS!!_ YOU SNEAKING, STINKING, BLOOD-SUCKING, SHIT-FOR-BRAINS, _TWO-TIMING_, ASSHOLE!! YOU ARE _DEAD_!! JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!!"

"ARGENTO! BA-BY!" Rhapsodos seemed delighted. He threw his arms wide and took an enthusiastic step toward the source of the cursing.

"DON'T YOU 'BABY' ME, YOU DOUBLE-CROSSING, LOW-LIFE, _SCUMBAG!_ _HOW COULD YOU?!_"

Below him, Reno could see a stunningly beautiful young woman with long black hair caught behind her neck and dressed in black with glowing silver streaks down her arms and legs and about her waist and a silver metallic plate over her breasts. A gleaming, silver long sword, lighter than a Soldier's claymore, was attached to her back. She had entered the pool room from what was probably the tunnel they'd been brought through earlier.

"Hm, must be Argento!" Reno mumbled.

Rude had managed to crawl up alongside Reno to view the sight. "Way to state the obvious." For emphasis, Rude kicked Reno's foot. "Shh. I can't hear what they're saying!"

"How can you not hear, yo? She is yelling at the top of her lungs!"

Rhapsodos had left Lynette Hiland's side and was approaching the angry beauty. "Argento, it's _so_ good to see you!" and Rhapsodos moved as if to take her in his arms.

"BASTARD!! DON'T YOU _DARE_ TOUCH ME! AND HOW MANY MEN DID I HAVE TO SACRIFICE TO BRING YOU THIS, ONLY TO FIND OUT _YOU'RE_ _ENGAGED!!_ BASTARD!!" With that Argento bounded into the air with her long sword in her hand seemingly ready to run Rhapsodos through.

Rhapsodos shook his head admiringly, "That's what I love about you!" He leapt into the air and pulled his sword from his back. Their weapons clashed as the two flew passed each other. Both landed on pipes far above the mako pool.

"Would you budge over, I can't see!" Rude pushed against Reno.

"No, then I couldn't see!"

"And did you bring me my present?" Rhapsodos cocked his head at Argento questioningly.

"OF COURSE, I DID, BUT I'M NOT ABOUT TO GIVE IT TO _YOU_! YOU BASTARD!" Red flames surrounded Argento's hand as she launched a fire attack at Rhapsodos, careful to keep it away from the mako pool below them. Rhapsodos dodged the attack, but in its wake she was on him again. Argento stepped right and left on pipes to get to him, then she slashed for his ribs. Rhapsodos dodged again, but this time, rather than defend himself, he wrapped his left arm about Argento's waist and forced her to take him with her as she flew passed. "SONUVABITCH!!"

Reno wasn't sure, but he rather thought Argento tried to bite Rhapsodos as they tumbled together toward the landing, her hair flaring out in green shimmering arcs with the light of the mako below them. When they landed, Rhapsodos pinned Argento below him and held her arms spread wide against the floor. When he leaned in to kiss her, she spit in his face, kneed him in his posterior, and sent him tumbling over her head.

"IT'S NOT THAT EASY, GENESIS!" Argento turned to face Rhapsodos. She crouched for another attack, her sword low, close to the ground.

"Yes. You're right. Nothing's _ever_ that easy." Rhapsodos stood up slowly, put his sword away on his back, and spread his hands to the sides. "_I apologize _about the princess, Argento. Her father sprang the engagement on me as part of our alliance with Wutai. I have _no_ intention of marrying her."

"Yeah, I'll just bet you don't… You've made me, and Deep Ground, a lot of promises, Genesis Rhapsodos, and I'm going to ensure that you keep _every last one of them_."

"Yes, I'm sure you will, Argento." Rhapsodos took a tentative step toward the dark-haired woman, then another when she didn't attack him. "Argento, you know I love you. No other woman means anything to me."

Argento lowered the sword slightly and straightened, her eyes narrowed. "Genesis, you really are a bastard."

"Well, sort of… indirectly… that is." Rhapsodos shrugged and cocked a half-smile at Argento, took another step, then kissed her lips lightly. When she didn't respond with anger, he ran his tongue over her closed lips, coaxingly. She smiled slightly. Rhapsodos wrapped one arm around her waist and the other behind her head, pulled her against him, and pushed her mouth open with his. Argento raised her sword above his head as if she were about to strike him somewhere, then let her empty hand sink to his shoulder while her sword clattered to the floor. She finally leaned into the kiss. "Now where's my present?"

"Bastard."

"Ain't love grand?" Reno looked at his partner.

"You think that's love?"

"No, but it looks like _fun_, don't you think?"

"Urh." Rude growled at Reno then examined the room below them and the grate barring the way into it. "Wait. What's that?"

"Um? What's what?" Reno had begun pushing against the grate, trying to work it loose from the wall, when he too spotted two men carrying a long silver bag between them as they entered the room from the tunnel.

"There's your damn 'present,' Genesis." Argento had taken a step away from Rhapsodos. "I lost a lot of good people to get this for you. That little escapade of yours really weakened our base in Midgar. _You owe me, Genesis_."

"You are absolutely right, my love, and I _will_ make it up to you… Let's get this to Hollander to get to work on."

"I'm right here." Vester Hollander emerged from the shadows of the same corridor the men with the bag had come through.

"I should have known. How else could Argento have found out about the princess except from _you_?!" Genesis had taken a step toward the bag and Hollander, but he kept an arm around the dark-haired woman.

Hollander didn't seem intimidated in the least. "_Of course_ I told her. I just knew she'd have choice words for you over _that_ development… Now let's see what she's brought." Hollander knelt by the bag's side and seemed to be reading something, even occasionally touching the bag. "Everything seems to be in order, but I need this taken to sample prep immediately. I'll need the enriched mako solution supplies from Nibelheim as well, not just the normal local stuff."

Lynette Hilander then stepped forward. "Is this the _guest_ you were telling me about, Genesis? Sephiroth's wife?"

"Yes, Lynette. That's exactly who it is."

Reno and Rude looked at each other with serious faces. Now they had an additional problem. They had to get Tessa out of here too and quickly.

"I'm not anxious to meet a woman who would marry _that monster_. Take her away."

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Later, in the residential section of New Banora, Rhapsodos lay on his back on the bed and looked up at the naked woman on top him. He marveled again. All his plans were working: he had acquired a source of Jenova tissue, he was effectively in charge of Wutai, he had Soldier and the entire planet in chaos, and his base in Mideel was filled with cloned troops ready for deployment. Oh yes, he needed to remember to have Hutchins supply a plausible story to Midgar regarding those two pesky Turks. Best of all, he had Argento right where he wanted her—in his bed. Argento, the Silver, was absolutely perfect, wild, and uncontrolled—_nearly_ uncontrollable.

Rhapsodos pressed his hips upward into the beautiful woman, and she rode him, arched her back, and reached back to rub his testicles. He could feel himself tightening, stretching, thickening—he would come any second at this rate—but she lifted up, nearly off him, and kept just his bare tip inside her.

"HN?! Baby?!"

"_Every promise_, Genesis!"

"Yeah, yeah. Come on!!"

"_Swear it_, Genesis." She inched ever so slightly lower, and leaned a bit forward so that her wild, silken hair rubbed his stomach.

"Okay… Yes, I swear. Anything else?"

"The princess. What about _her_…?"

"I'll break it off next time I'm in Wutai. Promise! You know, I don't think she even likes me."

"Well then, that's fine. You know I'll _kill_ her if you don't break the engagement." She squirmed downward a little more.

"Yeah. I know. You're killing _me_ right now."

"And you're sorry, and you'll never think of any other woman but me."

"I am _truly_ sorry, and I will never think of anyone but you, Argento."

"Better not." Argento took all of him inside her then leaned forward to brush her nipples on his chest. Jarringly, from the night stand, music was suddenly playing.

"_You left your phone on?!"_

Argento smirked at Rhapsodos and, watching for his reaction, leaned sideways. She forced him to turn with her ("Unh! Honey!"), picked up her PHS and flipped it open, then tilted back upright. She scrolled through her text message and calculated the time difference from transmission. Argento closed the phone, let it fall from her hand to the bed, and squirmed more securely onto her lover. She leaned forward, kissed Rhapsodos lightly on the lips, and then sat up with a smile. "Congratulations. That was Midgar. Sephiroth and his troops left this morning for Rocket Town and Wutai. _You_ have a free hand."

"Yeah. Two of them." He reached for her, dug his fingers into her hips, and resettled her more comfortably back on top of him with a sigh of relief. Yes, everything was going as planned.

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"You are a lovely woman, Dr. Romera. Too bad for you, you're carrying Jenova tissue in your body, but soon, you won't have to worry about it anymore." Vester Hollander and his bodyguards had drained the flex-tube, removed Tessa's body, placed her inside a regular lab tube, and filled it with high concentration mako solution and added an anesthetic via a feed line to keep her asleep. Hollander checked a lab notebook on a nearby table and did a quick calculation on some scratch paper, then made an entry in the notebook. "Yes, nineteen hours from now. That would be 3 pm tomorrow—that will work." He leered at Tessa, then walked to a cabinet in the corner of the room and removed a bottle. He upended it into a feed line then turned a knob and checked the line's flow gage into the tube. Hollander picked up a small digital clock and punched in an alarm for nineteen hours, then stuck it on a velcro pad on Tessa's tube. "Tomorrow..."

"Why is her stomach so big?" One of the Vanessas had wandered over to look at the woman in the tube.

"She's pregnant—carrying a baby in her uterus. It's the _old-fashioned_ way to produce children."

"She's got a _baby_ inside her?! How did _that_ happen? Did _you_ put it there?"

"Of course not!" He rolled his eyes. "_Why_ am I talking to you?" Which one was she again? Oh yes. Vanessa-#7, the _curious_ one. "And where did you girls put the Turks?"

"'Turks'? What are 'Turks'?" Vanessa-7 tilted her head curiously at him, her pigtails swinging.

Clones—so annoying. "The two _men_ who were here earlier. You wanted to _play_ with them, remember?"

"Oh-h… Them."

"Yes. And?"

She shrugged. "Dunno."

"What?!" Hollander headed for the back room where he had assumed the Vanessas had still been playing. Opening the door, he stopped still for a moment then stepped forward. Several Vanessas were playing what looked like tick, tack, toe, while others played hangman. Two were even playing rock, paper, scissors. Standing about four feet away from the far wall, however, was a pile of boxes that reached nearly to the ceiling. Walking around it, Hollander found what he had hoped not to see—another pile of boxes against the wall and a grate stuck in a ventilation shaft hole with no screws holding it in. Hollander stood still and considered for a moment.

"Girls! Come along! Play time's over!"

"Ah-ah!" Clearly, they didn't want to stop.

"Move!"

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The babies squirmed in her arms. Tessa opened her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Lucy, the more solid of the girls, looked at her and grimaced, as if in pain. She pushed away from Tessa and her sister and clutched her stomach. Angel started crying, and her tears fell like shooting stars.

"Come here, sweetheart!" Tessa tried to gather Lucy back in her arms. The child was burning up. "You've got a fever! _How can you have a fever in my dream?!"_ Lucy was crying now too. The skin on her tiny arms was rippling, then her whole body convulsed.

"_NO! LUCY!!_"

Then Tessa felt it too—her skin crawling, rippling, even stretching and cracking, and nausea. Her body convulsed, and she knew she too was sick.

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"Can you see Tess? How's she look? Naked?!" Reno was trying to crawl up next to Rude in the ventilation shaft above the Sample Preparation room, but Rude kicked him back.

"Man! You want to look at a naked, _pregnant_ woman?! _You are really warped_!" Rude sighed. "Course, I knew that…" Rude turned back to the view into the sample prep room. Below him, one more of the tubes was occupied than when they had left but none of the guards, Vanessas, or Hollander was to be seen. "Yeah. I can see her, but nobody else is in there. Tessa's really squirming around. I don't remember doing that when _I _was in one of those things with my arm. There's a timer on the glass too… Can't see what it says though... I don't think she's all right. We need to get her out of there, soon." Rude backed away from the grate toward his partner. "I wonder what Hollander's up to. He doesn't seem to have run for the alarms when he realized we were gone."

"I'll bet he went looking for us himself—probably took all those clones along to help. After all, _he's_ the one who lost us. If he could find us, then it'd be like we never escaped."

"Yeah, you could be right." Rude agreed. Reno probably _was_ right. When it came to getting into and out of trouble with authority, Reno had it down pat. "Okay. Let's think. We've been out of contact with Tseng for what, three or four days now?! I'll bet somebody's on the way here to check on us."

"Yeah, and when they get here, whoever Tseng has sent will run right into all these clones, yo… I hope Tseng sends an army—like every Turk in Midgar. _Hell, if Tess' is here,_ _where're Sephy and Zackman_? _All_ of Soldier for that matter? I wouldn't mind a few First Class Soldiers too, what with Rhapsodos and Hewley around—that Argento, too."

Rude's eyes widened, and he raised a finger. "Wait a sec…What was that Rhapsodos and Argento were fighting about? His engagement to a princess? Remember? It was something like 'her father sprang an engagement on him as part of their alliance with Wutai'?! You suppose Wutai's in rebellion?"

"Sorry. I was too busy watching the lover's quarrel…" Reno paused. He _had_ been distracted—back to the important stuff. "A Rhapsodos/Banora/Wutai alliance—all enemies of Shinra. Makes a weird kind of sense, yo…" Reno leaned toward his partner with a realization, "Oh, and Hutchins in Mideel too—at least part of _Shinra security_…"

"Yeah." Rude nodded. "Hutchins probably tipped the Banorans off that there were Turks in the neighborhood, asking questions. No wonder we were captured so easily."

Reno nodded and grimaced. "We've got to get Tess out that tube, yo. Whatever Hollander's got in mind can't be good."

"He wants the baby's Jenova tissue." Rude looked at his friend. "But why? He wants to produce more Jenovas?"

"Not sure." Reno looked down and considered, then he shook his head. "He wouldn't if he'd ever seen the real thing." Reno looked at his partner. "We've got to get Tess and warn Tseng."

"Agreed. We need to find our weapons and our PHSs. There has to be a control room somewhere." He paused and considered. "What about that room Lynette Hiland was standing in when we were brought in?" Reno nodded his agreement. "We might be able to do some damage around here too. We've got to be careful, though, isn't Mideel supposed to be geologically unstable? If we start explosions here and all this mako starts to go, we could sink the island. We'll have to keep whatever we do damage-wise small."

"Might not be so bad, yo, sinking the island, that is. Get rid of _Banora_ once and for all…"

Rude growled at his partner. "_Don't even go there_… Let's get out of this shaft. Come on…"

Cccccccccccccccccc

In the shower in his apartments, Genesis Rhapsodos kissed Argento deeply, held her tight against his slick, wet body and enjoyed the feelings—hot water, her breasts pushed against him, and himself against her. Suddenly her hands crept under his arms and onto the skin on his shoulder blades. Rhapsodos winced and backed away from her.

"What is it?" Argento looked puzzled at his reaction.

Rhapsodos smiled. "That tickled." He placed her arms around his waist, teased her lips apart with his mouth, and distracted her, he hoped. The pain when she had touched him had been excruciating. Soon there would be relief…

Ccccccccccccccccc

Vincent Valentine was staring out the window of a transport at the receding coast of the eastern continent. The sandy beaches had given way to the sparkling waters of the Mideel Sea. The sight was lovely. How could it be so beautiful, he wondered, when there was so much violence in the world? Clearly, Gaia was uninterested in her occupants. Suddenly, searing pain hit Vincent's entire body, and he doubled over in his seat, sick to his stomach, his skin crawling.

"Valentine! Are you all right?!" Tseng, sitting next to him, put a hand on his shoulder.

"… No …" Vincent managed glaring, his teeth gritting, his vision blurred with pain.

"Someone get Dr. Caperton up here!" Tseng called. He turned to Jayna sitting nearby. "Help me get his feet up."

"I'm here…"

Vincent heard them as if from a distance. The pain was intense. He reached out to his son hundreds of miles away. _Do you feel this too?_

_Yes. _What is it?!_ There's no cause I can find. I was standing at the airship's observation window when I crumbled to the floor… _Sephiroth seemed closer to Vincent than Tseng who hovered above him or the doctor who knelt at his side.

_Can you compartmentalize the pain? I can put a barrier up around it such that Chaos can deal with it subconsciously._

_I can deal with it._

_Good. I think…_ Vincent paused and considered whether to think it to his son. _I think _this is the baby… in pain…_ Whatever Rhapsodos is up to, I believe he's started._

_Can you tell where Tessa is?! I can get no fix on the direction!_ Anxiety flooded the mental connection.

Vincent's only answer was_ Ahead…_

_Good…_came the response.

cccccccccccccccccccc

(9 am, Wutai; 7 pm, Mideel; 5 pm, Midgar; 4 am, Junon; 1 pm, Gongaga)

Carlos Griegos was slightly disappointed. General Sephiroth had left Midgar and was now on his way to Rocket Town and thence to Wutai. When Griegos had made his 8:00 am report, Col. Gavin McIntyre, now in command at Midgar, had received it. While McIntyre had been glad to see Griegos returned safe, he'd barely glanced at Griegos' prisoners. Griegos sighed. He supposed he'd been expecting Soldier Command to be thrilled that the war would probably soon be over. Instead McIntyre had said he'd pass the news on to the General, had given Griegos orders to sit tight and await the General's commands, and had then broken contact. Now what? Griegos knew what he wanted to do—broadcast the news of the capture of the emperor and crown princess to the entire island of Wutai—but instead he was to hunker down and keep being shelled. Griegos turned to Bill Wallace, also puzzled, who stood behind him. "Have Akita join us in the brig. We're going to interrogate our prisoners."

Ccccccccccccccccc

(1 pm, Gongaga; 7 pm, Mideel; 5 pm, Midgar; 4 am, Junon; 9 am Wutai)

The words rang through the materia reactor and Nathan's mind. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Nathan smiled. There was one at every equipment-heavy facility on Gaia. The head technician, the guardian of technological equipment everywhere, had appeared.

"Making materia, of course."

At Nathan's words, an older, heavy-set, gray-haired man, with a thick mustache, pressed his hands over his heart, his breath rattled in his chest, and fell to the floor, unconscious.

**A/N—I've introduced many OCs in my story, but Argento the Silver is canon. Angeal Valentine tells me Argento appears only in the Japanese online part of Dirge of Cerberus. Other than a picture of a beautiful, black-haired woman in a Deep-Ground type uniform, nothing is known about her, however. That made her perfect for my story…**


	18. Positioning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—For this chapter, and the next few chapters, we'll be "real time" in New Banora.**

(8 p, Mideel; 6 p, Midgar; 2 p, Gongaga; 10 a, Wutai)

The view was spectacular. Tseng allowed himself one minute to admire it. His transports had put down on a landing strip atop a cliff that overlooked the sparkling waters of the corner of a bay. A tree-clad peninsula ran to the north while to the west the cliff ran down to sea level and a sandy beach. The sun was setting in a blaze of fire, and a cloud bank was rolling in from the west. A dark, overcast night was in the offing. For the moment, however, a crescent moon was rising in the east. Nearby a small house and an airship hangar also enjoyed the view. Tseng could see why the owner had chosen to live here. Across the clearing, two people walked toward him from the direction of the house. As the rotors of the transports slowed, a blue-suited man continued toward Tseng and extended his hand, a smile on his face. The other, a very tall young woman in black, hung back.

"Tseng, m'boy, it's good to see you!" Tseng shook Verdot's hand. Verdot had wavy, slicked-back brown hair, the waves revealing grey streaks. Verdot's brown eyes watched his former apprentice curiously for a moment. It had been a while since the two had seen each other. Verdot mentally reviewed Tseng's progress from awkward young immigrant when they first met, to harassed field commander attempting to control rowdy Turks, and finally to a serious, professional director.

"Master Verdot, you're looking well. Were you able to acquire transportation for us?"

"Straight to business—good… As to ground transportation—that was no problem at all. You _will_ be reimbursing me, I assume."

Tseng laughed. Verdot had always been very careful of his pennies. Well, if it let him retire to a place such as this… "Yes, of course… When can we leave?"

"Mideel is about an hour's drive from here, and Banora about fifteen minutes beyond that. I'd like to avoid Mideel, however, and that will add time. I suggest we head out in about an hour."

Tseng glanced at his watch. "Good. That will give us time to regroup. Can you feed this crew?"

Verdot nodded and waved a hand toward the hangar and the woman. "Let me introduce you."

Tseng followed Verdot toward the woman. He had noted she was tall and encased in black leather. Now he could tell that she had flawless alabaster skin, but he could tell little else about her. Her hair was pulled up under a kind of shapeless red hat, and her eyes were covered by very dark sunglasses. There was something vaguely familiar about her. Tseng couldn't put his finger on it, and that bothered him.

"Kamui, this is Commander Tseng, the man who succeeded me as the head of the Turks. I believe you_ spoke on the phone_." Kamui, Tseng noted, had the grace to blush at the memory of that conversation. The red flush was an interesting contrast to the white of her skin. "Tseng, this is Kamui, my assistant, and, more importantly, my daughter."

cccccccccccccccc

Tseng felt his jaw drop. Even with all his years of stone-faced training, he was still occasionally surprised. Including the addition of Dr. Caperton to his party, the abduction of Tessa Romera, and the bombing of Shinra, however, this made four surprises in twenty-four hours, and Tseng was finding the experience unacceptable. He had never expected to hear such an admission from Verdot. Verdot, a father? Tseng was reminded that he himself had hidden a son in the Slums. How Verdot had managed to hide a daughter from him, he couldn't fathom, however. After all, Verdot's daughter, Elfé, had died several years before.

"Don't worry. You're not losing your touch." Verdot assured him upon seeing Tseng's reaction. "I found Kamui wandering the Slums shortly before I left Shinra. About a year after coming here, I legally adopted her. She's more than my daughter; she's my assistant, and my protégé. Kamui, my dear, would you show the Turks to the hangar and the food?"

"You got it, boss." The woman turned toward the hangar.

"Spill. Why do you have a daughter, much less a _protégé_?"

Verdot shrugged. "I needed a new project, and she needed a father. It's as simple, and as complicated, as that. After this is over, however, I think it may be time for her to graduate. I may want her to go back to Midgar with you. She was rather ill earlier. I hope she'll be able to handle this evening."

"Hm… Well then, I look forward to getting to know her." Tseng turned toward his transport and the Turks passing on their way to the food. "Then, too, I would like _you_ to meet my people, some of whom, of course, you'll remember."

Tseng quickly introduced his Turks, and Verdot mentally stored names and faces for future reference. Verdot gave a silent laugh at the sight of Rufus Shinra posing as a Turk ("Redson, indeed!"), and he noted a doctor, in addition to a medic, in the group as well. Verdot caught the look that passed over Tseng's face at the introduction of the pretty blond girl, Elena ("Hm. More future reference material."). As Verdot watched Tseng watch Elena walk away, a very quiet Turk approached from behind Verdot.

Vincent silently shifted his right hand into the shape of an imaginary gun and put his pointer finger to the small of Verdot's back. "If you value your life, don't turn around."

Verdot paused for only an instant, but his voice held a note of surprise. "If you wanted to kill me, I'd already be dead."

"_If_ I wanted to kill you, you would already be defending yourself," Vincent felt the shadow of a smile cross his face as his best friend turned around. "It's been awhile."

"_Too_ long, Vince," Verdot smiled warmly at his friend. The former director's eyes examined his friend's features. "_You _haven't aged a day?!"

Vincent felt a combination of guilt and sorrow wash over him. "We will have time for explanations later… I believe we are in the middle of a crisis."

Verdot nodded—he knew the gravity of the situation. "I'm holding you to that, Vince."

Cccccccccccccccccc

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Caperton walked up to Vincent Valentine. Earlier the doctor had found nothing wrong with Valentine to explain his collapse on the airship.

"Fine." Vincent gritted his teeth. "Pain is pain. It can be controlled. Ignored." In truth, Chaos had stepped in to block the pain and confine it in some other part of Vincent's mind. It was still present and still worrying Vincent; however, he certainly didn't want to discuss his mako entities with Tessa's doctor.

"Hm."

ccccccccccccccccccc

(9 pm, Mideel; 7 pm, Midgar; 3 pm, Gongaga; 11 am, Wutai)

Verdot had chosen a rather unique form of transportation for the Turks, Tseng decided. Three recreational vehicles left Verdot's isolated home and followed three different routes to Banora. Fifteen minutes later, three more RVs left and took those same three routes. Driving the RVs were Turk male and female couples dressed as tourists. Inside each RV were six additional Turks and their supplies hiding from prying eyes. None went via Mideel. Due to the scattering, it would take time to reassemble the group south of Banora.

"Tell me again who it was you sent to Banora?" Verdot questioned Tseng. They rode in the back of an RV driven by Jayna's partner, Richard, with Jayna in obvious proximity. The couple looked a bit bleary-eyed, as if they were tourists in need of an RV park. Elena sat near her sister but out of sight like Tseng, Verdot, Valentine, Redson, and Verdot's daughter.

"Reno and Rude. You'll remember Reno, smart-aleck, red-haired kid, good at opening safes and disarming traps. Rude, too, perhaps. Bald-headed guy. Mr. Silent. Cool and collected."

"Yes. I remember _both _of them. You've_ teamed_ them, I take it?"

"Yes. Rude tones down Reno's abrasive nature, but doesn't hinder Reno's, shall we say, 'creativity'." Verdot gave a small laugh at Tseng's description. "I gave them what I remembered of Banora: that Vester Hollander had produced clones of Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley there that had run amok; that the labs were about a half mile outside of the town; and that we had leveled the whole area. They were to have reported back immediately if they found anything. Hutchins, the head of security in Mideel, was to have given them assistance, and I know that they contacted security, but he denied all knowledge of them two days ago. Reno and Rude have been missing now for five days. _Usually_ they can get out of about any situation. I have slated Hutchins for termination when he surfaces next." Tseng paused, "Then last night, during a terrorist attack, Sephiroth's pregnant wife was abducted right out of a tube in the Shinra labs. We think Rhapsodos will soon have her in Banora, if he doesn't already."

Verdot's eyes had widened at the mention of the kidnapping. "You hadn't told me about an abduction! Was it because of…" his voice softened so as to be barely audible, "Jenova?" Tseng and Valentine both noticed that Verdot's glance had gone to his daughter in the back of the RV.

"That's what we suspect." Tseng exchanged a glance with Valentine, and Vincent began studying Kamui unobtrusively. "We believe that Rhapsodos is degenerating, and that Hollander needs the baby's tissue in order to stabilize Rhapsodos, even possibly produce more powerful clones of Rhapsodos, even possibly of Angeal Hewley…"

"Probably… Yes, I agree with your analysis." Verdot looked at his colleagues. "When you first called, Kamui and I headed down to Banora. It won't surprise you to learn that there's nothing there—at least on the surface. She and I were able to stake out and observe the area from a distance. There are a number of cement structures among the apple orchards that are labeled as 'irrigation wells.'" He paused and shook his head. "No one _irrigates_ on this island—the seasonal rains, while they can be light, are consistent. She and I suspect the structures _could_ be entrances to an underground complex, but there could be _other_ entrances—even at Apple Town commune itself.

"You're suggesting that the 'wells' may be there as points _for_ us to attack."

"Indeed."

"Then we'll need to make our own entrance rather than go through theirs."

Verdot glanced at Rufus, who was sitting nearby and trying hard to look like he was not listening intensely. "Yes."

Cccccccccccccccccc

Concrete dust was everywhere, on their smelly, black night suits, in the air, on the lab tables, in his eyes and lungs… Rude sneezed, then sneezed again more loudly. Getting grates off walls from the inside of shafts was a messier, more difficult business than he'd imagined. The grate on the vent into the sample prep room was stubborn. Finally Rude gave up trying to "finesse" the thing off the wall with his hand and shoulder. He turned to the expedient of simply kicking it off and letting it fall where it will. Hollander already knew they'd escaped from this general area, so messing up his lab some more wasn't giving too much information away. Rude just hoped no one had heard the crash when the grate landed. It hit the floor and missed all the lab equipment, but the crash had been loud nonetheless.

"Come on. I'll check the controls. See if you can find that silver bag they brought Tess in. We'll need something to carry her around in until she wakes up. I can tell you, waking up out of a tube is a cold, nasty business. You wake up shaking. We'll need to find a blanket, too!" Rude looked into the lab and then climbed down feet first onto a table directly below the vent. He crossed the room and examined Tessa's tube and its controls for a moment. During his stay in Junon for his arm microsurgery, Rude had learned a few things about tubes. The color of the mako solution in this tube was a little off, a bit more blue than green, he thought. Maybe it was just the lighting.

"Right," Reno looked out the vent hole, squinted through the dust, waved a hand before his face to clear some air, and then climbed down to join his partner. Not immediately spotting anything silver with a matte finish, just shiny silver lab equipment, Reno wandered the large room and glanced at occupied tubes, under tables, and at notes on tables. Not finding anything, Reno joined Rude at the table near Tessa's tube.

"Find it?"

"Not yet." Rather than continue his search, Reno read Hollander's notebook on the table. "What the…" In the notebook Hollander had written out long hand a report on Tessa's last visit to her OB/GYN. _How had he gotten that?_ Reno read the report aloud. "Dr. Tessa Romera, wife of General Sephiroth, twenty-two weeks gestation, to undergo treatment _in vitro_ with highest concentration mako solution to commence immediately at Shinra medical research laboratories. Treatment purpose two fold: (1) flush out stagnant mako present in uterus; (2) bring mother's mako level up to normal 210 range. Test results from Shinra indicate wide discrepancy in mako levels of mother and amniotic fluid (i.e., approximate baby's level), currently at 170 and 280, respectively. Upon Dr. Romera's recommendation…"

"What? What was she doing?!"

"I don't know what all this means, but Hollander has the phrase 'twenty-two weeks gestation' circled about five times, and down below here, he's got a note written double-sized, 'GA #20'. There's a scrap of paper here too. Look:

22 wk, 5 da, (+2 da + 7 da + 7 da) 22 wk, 5 da (+ 16 da) 25 wk

16 da GA #20 0.8 da 19.2 hr

Are these notes on time? Wait?!... Didn't Hollander say something like he could speed growth to _twenty times normal_ in his clones? Is he trying to get the baby to 25 weeks gestation? What kind of sense does that make? And after all that he has 'C-section, 3 pm.'"

As Reno spoke, Rude noticed the timer on the tube glass. The figure "18:00" flashed by. He could see his own face reflected in the glass while Tessa twisted and writhed in the liquid. Rude noticed now, for the first time, that she was not only squirming, but her face was contorted in a grimace and her mouth was open. _Pain._ "Rhapsodos wants the baby's Jenova tissue. Something about 25 weeks is important to that, and Hollander's trying to hurry things up. _He's taking the baby out of Tess tomorrow at 3:00!_ Whatever it all means, we've got to stop it. Just look it her, partner, _she is_ _screaming_… _Find that bag!_ I am _draining_ this thing _now_."

At Rude's words, Reno had stopped and was now staring at Tessa's face as well. "Yeah." Reno's face became thunderous.

Cccccccccccccc

"What are you doing?"

Rude nearly jumped out of his skin. Vanessa-7, pigtails and all, was standing behind him. He hadn't heard her come in over the gargling of the tube. A glance behind her showed that the door to the outer hallway was open, and that the clone was alone. The tube was only half emptied.

"Seven! It's nice to see you again!" Rude casually walked around the clone to the door and quietly closed it. "Did you and your sisters enjoy the games?" He could see that Reno had slipped into the store room.

Vanessa-7 frowned. Rude didn't like that look on her face. It just didn't suit her sunny nature. "Yes, but _you left_…" Rude started. "Dr. Hollander got mad at all of us and made us go help him look for you."

"And have you now found me?" Rude didn't like the idea that he might have to overpower her and tie her up, in order to stop her from running to Hollander.

"I guess, but I wasn't supposed to be searching in here. I just came back for my pen. Can I have it back please?" She held out her hand, palm up.

"I'm sorry. Did I borrow your pen?"

"Yes! When you took out the screws!"

Oops. She shouldn't have seen that. "I'm sorry. I don't know where your pen ended up."

Vanessa-7 continued to frown. She was almost crying now—definitely the wrong expression for her. Then to Rude's astonishment, Vanessa-7 threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips. Rude's eyes widened, then, what the hell, he closed his eyes and kissed her back. She moved closer to him, and he could feel the warmth of her body through both their clothes. Rude wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tighter. This felt good.

Vanessa-7 leaned back and smiled. "I thought you'd be good to kiss. You can keep my pen."

"Do you kiss _everybody_, Seven?" Rude found he was unhappy with that thought.

"No. My sisters like to kiss, but I've only liked you."

"Oh-h." Rude nodded his head. "Okay… Works by me…"

"_Do you mind?!"_ Reno had returned. Rude sneered at his partner. How many times had he had to get Reno back on track in similar situations? "I hate to break this up, but don't we need to _be somewhere?"_

"Right… Seven, Dr. Romera here is a friend of ours. We're taking her out of the tube."

"Why? She's got a baby inside her, that Dr. Hollander didn't put there, but he's put GA#20 in her tube."

"Excuse me… Yes, she's pregnant. What's GA#20 got to do with it?"

"It's 'growth accelerant factor twenty'. It's his _best_ stuff. If he's using it on her, then it's _important_."

"It's important to us that we get her out of there. He brought her in here in a silver bag. Do you know where it is?"

"Silver bag? You mean a flex-tube?" Vanessa-7 tilted her head to the side and thought for a second. "If I bring you one, can I kiss you again?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely."

"OK!" Vanessa-7 skipped to the hallway door, opened it, turned back to Rude, gave him a huge smile, then turned and skipped out.

"See where she's going. Make sure she doesn't talk to anyone."

"Trust me." Reno opened the door quietly, looked out, then glanced at his partner. _"Oh, the things we do for Shinra!"_ Rude took a step toward him, but Reno was out the door.

cccccccccccc

Within minutes the tube was drained and opened, Vanessa-7 and Reno had returned with a flex-tube and a blanket, and Tessa had been placed inside. Vanessa-7 helped them fill the tube with mako—the slightly bluish high-concentration mako solution that Vanessa-7 insisted Tessa had been bathed in when she arrived. Tessa had continued to writhe in their arms as they placed her in the flex-tube, but as they filled it with unused mako, she gradually quieted.

"There, that's done. Now may I kiss you?" Vanessa-7 approached Rude who was still kneeling on the floor.

"In a minute. Can you tell me how these controls should be set?"

"All right." Vanessa-7 pouted a bit. "He-re," and she turned two knobs on panels on the side of the tube until they were both about halfway on their settings. "You'll need more solution in about two hours."

Rude nodded thoughtfully. "Right. We'll keep that in mind." He stood up, "and now for your reward…"

"Yey!" Vanessa-7 was in Rude's arm, and this time Rude made sure he did a thorough job of kissing her.

"I hate to break this up, yo, but we've got to go, partner." Reno tried to pull Rude away from the girl.

"Seven, do you want to come with us?" Rude sounded hopeful.

"OK!"

Reno took charge. "Seven, can you show us how to get to Lynette Hiland's office above the mako pool by going through the vents?" Since when was Reno the practical one? Rude decided he must have inhaled some fumes somewhere for Reno to be taking charge.

"Sure, but why would you want to go to my big sister's room?"

"'Big sister'? As in Lynette Hiland is one of your sisters?!"

"Sure. Lynette Vanessa Hiland, my big sister." Rude received another one of Reno's elbow digs.

cccccccccccccccccc

After removing her white lab coat, Vanessa-7, now in jeans and a light blue tee-shirt, lead the way through the vents. Reno pulled Tessa's body loaded on a dolly he'd found in the store room with the lab coat and blanket on top. Before they left the lab, they had replaced both grates into the vents. From the vent overlooking the mako pool, Vanessa-7 was able to guide them to Lynette Hiland's office. Rude was able to work this grate open without it crashing, and he and Reno landed catlike on the floor. They had asked Vanessa-7 to stay with the body to monitor the readings and to help Tessa wake up.

Other than a desk and two chairs in front of the window that overlooked the mako pool, the room was filled with CCTV monitors. The Turks could see that most of the monitors showed tube rooms with readings for the occupants displayed also. A few on the far wall to the right showed apple trees. Reno and Rude moved toward these monitors as if drawn by a magnet. One display clearly showed the standing granite monument they'd looked at several days before. No wonder they'd been caught.

"I'd nearly given up waiting for you, gentlemen."

Reno and Rude looked at each other and both shook their heads, chagrined. Caught again?! Damn it! A look of agreement passed between them—no going down without a fight this time. They turned.

Vester Hollander, gun in hand, had appeared behind them. Six black-clad body guards stood behind him, but only Hollander held a gun.

"Take them." Hollander ordered his clones forward.

"NOW!" Rude shouted, and Reno grabbed one of the clones and launched him at Hollander. The thrown clone knocked the gun from Hollander's hand and sent it skittering away. Rude stepped inside the grip of a second clone, elbowed him in the sternum, then back-knuckled him in the nose hard enough, Rude hoped, to push the nose into the brain for a kill. The clone crumbled. Two other clones next attempted to surround Reno. He reached out and grabbed an arm from each clone, dipped his body under their arms, pulled and twisted them into each other, and stunned them. Rude reached behind a clone's head, swept a foot out from under him, and sent him flying across the room to the accompaniment of breaking glass. Reno caught up with Hollander, who was crawling across the room in pursuit of his gun, chopped Hollander's neck, and dropped him to the floor. Rude found the gun, and the conscious clones backed off. "Tie them up. There's certainly enough electrical cable around here for the job."

A swift examination of the room later, and Reno and Rude had their equipment, PHSs, and Rude's prosthetic back in place, and their prisoners bound. Reno flipped open his PHS and looked at an apple tree monitor. Well, what do you know?! There he was, the man Reno had just been about to call. Tseng was on the screen.


	19. Conflict I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—I have found I'm not terribly good at writing fight scenes, so Angeal Valentine has stepped in and helped me. Since you readers were suddenly only two chapters behind me, I needed all the help I could get! With her help, I think I can maintain my chapter a week pace… We're still "real time" in New Banora. **

(10 pm, Mideel; 8 pm, Midgar; 4 pm, Gongaga; 12 noon, Wutai)

Tseng could see his night-suit-clad Turks move forward silently through a swamp south of the Banora orchards. Only a sliver of a moon could be seen through the overcast. All the Turks' faces were blackened, all bright hair was hidden, and all carried small machines guns with silenced pistols on their hips and extra ammunition in addition to their own personal, favorite weapons—all but a few. Rufus Shinra, still in his "Redson" disguise, was carrying a sawed-off shotgun—nasty thing. Vincent Valentine carried his overlong, three-barreled handgun, Cerberus, and any number of other, smaller guns about his person, Tseng suspected. Interestingly, Verdot's daughter, Kamui, carried two dark-swathed swords on her back and was no longer wearing her red hat. Instead she had pulled her black jacket's hood over her head. For some reason, she still wore her extremely dark sunglasses. Tseng shook his head. How could she see with those things? Tseng had given his instructions to his people then moved them out—there was a half mile through the swamp for them to cover before they reached the orchards.

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"You're too late. They were spotted entering the swamps. Lynette's people have been expecting an attack of some kind for days, ever since you two showed up." Hollander snorted. "Have to give her credit for brains after all, I suppose." Rude smashed Hollander over the head with his prosthetic arm and silenced him again.

Reno called Tseng. On the monitor, Reno could see Tseng, a puzzled expression on his face, tap the communicator on the side of his head. "Yo, Bossman, you look _good _on camera!"

Reno heard strangling noises over his PHS and could see faces turn toward Tseng at his reaction. Reno smirked—Tseng had to have been extremely surprised to have made any sound in this situation. Tseng paused just an instant, then rose slightly and gave the hand sign for "take cover." Tseng watched his people move then signed "request location"—that one was for Reno.

"Rude and I are underground, inside New Banora, in a control center, and _we are watching you_. We're all right, yo. Turn more to your left, so I can see you better." Reno enjoyed the startled expression on Tseng's face at his stage directions, then enjoyed even more Tseng's look of chagrin as he turned. "You've got _lots _of company coming, boss—they've been waiting for you—seem to have been expecting follow-ups ever since we were captured."

Tseng gave the signs for "direction of attack."

Reno replied, "Unsure, but possibly from the north."

Tseng signed, "how many."

"Again, unsure, but maybe hundreds, even thousands, of _clones_. You got lots and lots of ammunition, boss? Oh, and there's a huge pool of mako underground here—be careful of explosions. Don't want to set it off and sink the island. Genesis Rhapsodos is here too, along with at least one clone of Angeal Hewley, and some babe called 'Argento.'"

Tseng raised his head slightly considering the information then signed "join us."

Reno shook his head even though Tseng couldn't see it. "We haven't found a way to the surface yet—don't know where we'll come out… Tempting to just stay here and watch you guys, but…" Tseng gave an exaggerated frown so that Reno would be sure to see the expression. "Yeah, okay. We'll head for the surface. We'll be crawling out through an air vent, so don't let anybody shoot us, okay? Oh, and by the way_, we've _got Tessa Romera!"

Tseng's eyebrows went up (what was that now, six surprises in twenty-four hours?), then he smiled in a relieved fashion and signed, "condition."

"She seems to be okay now. She _was_ in pain when we found her, but we've got her in a flex-tube with new solution… We have enough mako for about another hour, but we're trying to wake her up. We're pulling her through the vents with us. Oh, and Hollander gave her 'growth factor' to speed up her pregnancy?!"

Tseng signed "baby" and "condition," his face full of concern.

"Uncertain, but it seems to be okay as far as we can tell."

Tseng's face went thunderous, then he jerked his head in a nod and waved to someone off screen. Valentine and Verdot (!) joined him. "Whoa. _Old_ Bossman." Reno could see Tseng sign, "captives free," "safe," "coming soon," a pause then "pass word," "be on lookout," "captives," "coming," and "attack imminent." Reno thought he caught a slight note of relief on Valentine's face, then _his_ body went absolutely still for a few seconds. Reno could see Verdot and Tseng both searching Valentine's face. Valentine nodded and moved out of range of the camera to send out the word, Verdot following him shortly. Tseng's head suddenly jerked over his shoulder as if he heard something. Tseng signed, "gunfire," "get here," and "out."

Reno closed his PHS and turned to his partner. "Seems we'd better go, yo. Think we can take Hollander with us? Might make a comfortable bed for Tess…"

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The babies ceased to struggle, and Tessa tried to hug them to her. Lucy and Angel both smiled happily at her and began to spin about one another, almost dancing, then dissolving and spiraling into sparks. The sparks flitted around Tessa then pressed in on her skin. Rather than feeling like insects crawling on her, Tessa felt warmth and tingling sensations where the sparks settled. Gradually the sparks dimmed and went out.

"Must be time to wake up," Tessa thought. "Soon our family will be together, Sephiroth."

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_Where are you? How do you feel?_ Vincent thought to his son, miles away.

_Landing… The knifing pain in my guts is gone, but the headache is still there… The burning and fever felt almost like the pain _Hojo_ used inflict on me when he was experimenting. Maddening…_

At the moment Vincent could see through Sephiroth's eyes, and he knew that Sephiroth could see Vincent's surroundings as well. They weren't always able to do that, but if either man's adrenaline levels were high, then the connection between them seemed to grow stronger. Usually both men wanted their privacy and respected the other's, but now Vincent wanted to check out Sephiroth's condition for himself. Vincent could tell Sephiroth was lying on his back on a bench in an airship with Zack close by. Zack's face, filled with concern, hovered near Sephiroth's. Vincent could see other Soldiers nearby studiously avoiding looking at their general. Not faraway a man's voice was quietly muttering curses about an engine—he seemed to be flying the airship.

Reno_ just reported to Tseng. He and Rude have got _Tessa_ with them! She _and the baby_ seem to be all right, and they are trying to wake her. They're working their way toward Tseng's people, but they've also reported that an attack on us is imminent. Genesis Rhapsodos and an Angeal Hewley clone are here in what they've called 'New Banora.' _

Relief swamped the connection followed swiftly by a tightening of Sephiroth's muscles as if for action. Vincent even felt a note of sorrow from his son regarding the presence of his former friends. _Vincent, keep her safe for me. If anything were to happen to the baby… to her…_

_I know—only too well. Who better than me?_ Vincent pulled back out of Sephiroth's mind.

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Vanessa-7 tweaked a knob on the side of the flex-tube and wondered again why they were hauling this woman around when they could have left her in the tube. Well, if Mr. Lowell wanted the woman to wake up, that was fine by her, just as long as Dr. Hollander didn't yell at her later.

The woman's arm jerked. Vanessa-7 could see her extremities beginning to twitch. "Right on schedule," Vanessa-7 thought. Without her earlier continuous supply of anesthetic, the woman was beginning to wake up.

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Reno climbed up into the vent, and Rude tossed Hollander up to him, one-handed. Rude turned away from the vent to his next task.

Vanessa-7 crawled forward to see what the Turks were doing. "Dr. Hollander! What are you doing with him? And what's breaking?"

"Yo, Seven. Help me unload Tess off the cart. We're gonna put Hollander on the bottom and then Tess on top. Think you can help steady them _and_ give directions?"

"Why?" Vanessa-7 looked very confused.

"Because we're _all_ going to the surface. Can you lead us through the vents to ground level, Seven? I'm sure Lowell will kiss you again." Reno raised his eyebrows in one of his "hopeful" expressions. Rude certainly wouldn't mind Reno's committing him to "rewarding" Vanessa-7. Rude was currently smashing monitors in Lynette Hiland's office.

Vanessa-7 still looked confused, but her response was her normal, high-wattage smile and, "OK!"

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Lynette Hiland stood at Genesis Rhapsodos' door and knocked. She had tried using her PHS, but he probably had his phone off and _that woman_ in his bed. She wasn't fond of Genesis' playmate, but then that was just the way some men were—even her precious Londo. When he didn't answer, she pounded the door and called, "Genesis! Genesis, the complex is under attack! Genesis!!" Finally she heard some stirring beyond the door.

"Lynette?" Rhapsodos, bare-chested and wearing only a pair of shorts, opened the door about the width of his face, and squinted at her.

"The complex is under attack from the south swamps. Reports say there are about fifty men and women armed with machine guns. Our people are near the west lab exits. _Are you coming?!"_

"Men _and women_, you say? Turks probably, looking for your captives." Rhapsodos nodded. "You head for your office and keep me informed about what's going on via the monitors. Send fifty G-clones to meet me and Argento at the east training room exit. We'll be there in a few minutes…"

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Tseng flinched from the sound of a ricochet but continued to move toward the sound of the gunfire to the west. He had ordered Verdot and Valentine to remain behind with ten Turks to keep an eye on their eastern "rear" while he took charge of the western "front." Ten other Turks were to guard the south, while the roughly thirty remaining Turks were split into "shooters," giving suppressing fire, and "crawlers," working their way forward to make kills. So far none of Tseng's people had been hurt, but the attackers didn't seem to be very numerous. From what Reno had said, that would change, and shortly. Tseng wanted to secure the west end before more Apple Townians, or as Reno called them, 'New Banorans,' showed up.

Tseng found Jayna, Richard and, Tseng stumbled over a tree root, Elena holding the north end of the west line. The low bush the three crouched behind was scant cover, but it was better than the widely spaced apple trees to the north. The trees were still quite young and only a few inches wide. They wouldn't make good cover, for either side.

Elena glanced up from her gun sight to see her boss approaching. Tseng felt his heart in his throat at her gaze. Get her out of here! Tseng signed for Elena to carry a message to Verdot and Valentine to take their ten Turks, and spread out to cover the east _and north_ sides of their party. He could have used his communicator to give the order, but he wanted _her_ away from the current firing. Elena gave him the sharp Turk nod, then staying low, moved away toward the east. Better. Tseng signed for Richard to follow him and for Jayna to provide covering fire while they moved. The two men headed west and a bit north toward one of those cement wells to the sound of Jayna's machine gun's suppressing fire.

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"All right. Time for truth, Vince." Verdot had taken the magazine out of one of his back-up pistols and was examining it. Vincent was certain there was absolutely nothing wrong with the weapon, but Verdot was trying to be casual. So far no enemies had appeared on their front. Off to their left, Verdot's daughter was staying close to her assignment, "Redson." Both men had laughed softly at the assignment—her first executive protection detail—in the middle of a potential battlefield. Verdot had been unconcerned with the assignment, however. Clearly he thought she could handle Rufus Shinra, so Vincent had raised no objections.

Vincent sighed and didn't answer Verdot immediately. Both men continued to scan their surroundings for approaching enemies. Finally, Vincent extended his hand in an old Turk handshake—with the first two fingers extended. Verdot looked at his friend in surprise but immediately clasped Vincent's hand in the same manner—a "bloodline handshake" with both hands' first two fingers lying along the arteries of the other's wrist. The bloodline handshake required the recipient to not repeat the secret about to be imparted without the originator's permission—the equivalent of taking a blood oath. "Do you remember my father? Do you remember his assistant?"

Verdot started. He hadn't expected the explanation he'd been promised to begin at this point. "Your father, of course. Madame Elizabeth had assigned you to executive protection for lab personnel in Nibelheim. That was where Grimoire had been working. His _assistant,_ though? No, I didn't know he had one..."

Vincent's voice wavered and whispered. "Her name was _Lucrecia_. Lucrecia Crescent." Vincent's voice shook with emotion, and he fought for control. "She and I were briefly 'involved,' but I left. When I returned, she had married that _damn Hojo_ and was pregnant. Hojo was experimenting on her _and_ the baby. When I tried to intervene, Hojo shot me—nearly killed me—then used my dying body for his experiments. At that point, Lucrecia _saved my life_, though she died soon after the baby was born." Vincent paused, his head drooping, then whispered. "Hojo may have killed her. There was nothing I could do to save her. Eventually Hojo stuck me in a box and expected me to die, a failed project."

Verdot looked at his friend's young face closely. "_That's_ why you haven't aged? Hojo's treatments? And the baby… Was it yours?"

"…Yes…"

"I'm sorry, my friend." Verdot shook his head. "You said you were in a box? For how long?"

"Twenty-five years."

"When did you get out?"

Vincent's words had been slow and drawn out, but now Verdot noticed they became more animated. "About six months ago, a woman pounded on my box and _demanded_ I get out. She claimed to be _the wife of my son_ and soon-to-be _the mother of my grandchild!_" Vincent glanced at Verdot and smiled slightly. "There was a monster attack going on at the Nibelheim reactor, and she was running off to fight the monsters and _demanded_ I help her. I nearly didn't go, but, no matter whether she was my daughter-in-law or not, I couldn't let a _pregnant_ woman fight monsters. I got out of the box and helped her."

"And is she your daughter-in-law? Did she tell you the truth?"

"…Yes…"

"And what of your son?" Verdot's question went unanswered with the arrival of Elena.

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Tseng and Richard put their machine guns on their backs and crawled on their elbows through tall grass to approach their opponents. One-by-one the roughly twenty Apple Townians' throats were slit, and the gunfire ceased.

As Tseng paused to consider his situation, gunfire and the sounds of hand-to-hand fighting broke out far to the east. Giving Richard orders to hold their current position with ten Turks, Tseng ran for the east.

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Genesis Rhapsodos glanced around the battlefield curiously. He watched the Turks mow down another clone, then tilted his head to Argento. "Take some troops down to the south side, I'll take some up to the north, and we'll meet in the middle."

Argento nodded. "Be careful. I sense some strong ones mixed in with the riff raff."

"Always." Rhapsodos cautioned back, "you be careful too, baby." He kissed Argento gently and then signaled some clones to join him.

Rhapsodos led his group north around the thin defenses of the Turks. He noticed that most of the Turks in the area were just humans who had bit off more than they could chew. He smirked. This would be easier than he'd thought. He flagged over his shoulder for the clones to move, but several moments passed after his signal, and he saw no movement from his group. Pivoting his head, Rhapsodos found his unit on the ground, covered in blood. A hooded figure in black leather and sunglasses stood behind him and held two katanas, one white in its right hand and the other pitch black in its left. Both swords dripped blood.

"Don't worry, they're not dead. I don't kill people who aren't worth the effort," the hooded figure's voice was feminine.

"I'm impressed. Not only did you sense us coming, but you wiped out my group behind my back." Rhapsodos drew his rapier. "You're no _ordinary_ Turk. Who are you?"

"My name is Kamui. Nice to meet ya." Rhapsodos lost sight of her for a moment then he felt her fist drive into his stomach. "Time to beat ya." He flew back, flipped in the air, and landed on his feet.

Rhapsodos smirked. Spit was trickling down his chin. He flicked it away with his thumb. "If I hadn't moved when I did, I would have had much worse." He raised his rapier, right hand by his heart, tip aimed at Kamui. He charged forward with the unnatural speed common to Soldiers and thrust at her heart. She sidestepped his attack and slashed at his ribs. He sensed the slash, pivoted, and blocked. "Good reaction time—too good for a Turk." He ground his feet into the soil and pushed her sword down in an effort to set up a slice to her neck. This was in vain as she ducked his attack, crouched, and laid down her katanas. She propelled herself around with her hands, stuck her leg out, and swept his feet. He leaped into the air to dodge her attack, collected fire in his left hand, and rained fireballs down at her.

Kamui dove out of the way while retrieving her katanas, then turned her attention to Rhapsodos. He no longer hovered in the air. She spun around, jerked her right elbow up, and dropped the tip of her white katana toward the ground. Sparks flew as Rhapsodos' rapier connected with hers. "_Far_ _too_ _good_ for a Turk. Only a _Soldier_ with precog would be able to sense that," he commented as she flipped over his head. Her right foot connected with his shoulder. He winced slightly as he felt his collar bone snap. Rhapsodos swept his sword up and met the resistance of her black katana. The force propelled Kamui higher into the air. Rhapsodos leaped after her, summoned another round of fire, and shot it off. She dodged the first few fireballs, but this time he used his trademark, the Homing Fire3 spell. He redirected his attack—each individual fireball split into three more. He clenched his fist, and the attack overwhelmed Kamui.

Rhapsodos smirked and waited for the woman's charred body to fall from the sky. "Arcana Breaker!" He heard a shout from inside the flaming prison and suddenly faced the woman flying right for him—her white katana ringed in gold energy and aimed for his head. Rhapsodos easily avoided the attack, spun in midair, and countered with an overhead slash for her back. Kamui rolled and met the attack with her black katana. The force behind the attack sent her crashing toward the ground.

"Impressive," Rhapsodos muttered. Something about the move she used to escape from his Homing Fire3 jogged his memory. Only one other person had managed that feat… Rhapsodos, still hanging in mid-air, used the time to watch the woman crash into a supple apple tree. Kamui put the white katana in her mouth and switched her hold on the black one to an ice-pick grip. She placed her free hand on the tree, kicked her legs around, and vaulted back into the air. Rhapsodos spun out of the way of her redirected attack and slashed at her rapidly, repeatedly. She countered every one of his strikes. Rhapsodos smirked as she blocked his most recent attack to her leg. He reached, grabbed her by the face, and launched a Fire3 spell point blank. Kamui convulsed, and Rhapsodos watched her crash to the ground and followed her down. Rhapsodos casually landed next to the woman; he smirked as she struggled to her feet. "What's your rank in Soldier? With moves like those, I'd say you're First Class. Funny, I thought women couldn't join Soldier."

"What are you talking about?!" Kamui snarled. From her position on the ground, she pulled the white katana in a slice up his chest. She cut Rhapsodos' First Class Soldier turtleneck and his kisori's crossed straps exposed by his red coat. A thin line of blood appeared from Rhapsodos' stomach to his chest along with a split in his chin.

"Why you…" he snarled and dragged his sword across her clavicle all the way to her hip. She gasped at the pain. The cut was shallow, but nevertheless the pain was like fire. Rhapsodos pointed his rapier at the injured Kamui; he stooped forward and ripped back the leather hood. A sheet of silver bangs brushed each side of the woman's chin, separated into two groups by her perfectly pointy part. His fist clenched the hood and ripped it from her jacket. A long sheet of silver hair hung suspended between the hood and her head. In a swift cut from his rapier he removed a serious portion of her hair leaving an uneven mess to hang limply on her neck. Rhapsodos dropped the hood and mane, removed her sunglasses, crushed them, and let the remains drip from his fingers. Rhapsodos' azure eyes met a pair of jade green ones, each slashed by a cat-slit pupil, while the vibrant green glow of mako slowly receded. Surprisingly then, he leaned down, took a handful of the woman's hair from the ground and stuffed it in a pocket. Kamui raised an eyebrow at Rhapsodos' action.

"It all makes sense." Rhapsodos smirked. He brought his rapier up to her heart, the blade pressed against the leather. "Now then, I wonder where it is on you." He stepped forward poised to strike, but the woman brought up the black katana and deflected the sword. Instead of her heart, however, Rhapsodos' sword tip sliced open the upper left sleeve of her black-leather shirt. Kamui's legs flexed and propelled her back, away from Rhapsodos. She clutched the leather and ripped it free to reveal an alabaster arm. Thin muscles flexed under her skin. "Hmm… Must be on the other arm…" Rhapsodos muttered.

Rhapsodos charged again. Kamui rolled out of the way, then ran for the ex-Soldier and slashed. "Whacha talking 'bout, you sonuvabitch?!"

"Why_, your serial number_, of course. Hojo always labeled his clones by batch, row, and pod in the row." Rhapsodos replied as he snaked his sword past Kamui's faltering defense. The other sleeve ripped and revealed a tattoo, KM-1. "Ah… So you're KM-1, and a lucky one at that. Given Hojo's cloning techniques, it's a wonder you're alive at all." He commented while blocking an overhead slash from Kamui's black katana. He deflected the attack and drove the butt end of his sword into her head. She moved enough to avoid serious head trauma, but blood slowly ran from the wound on her forehead into her right eye.

"What _do_ you keep going on about?" She panted.

"Why, my dear, you're a _clone_! A _Sephiroth clone_ to be precise."

Kamui's eyes narrowed. "You're lying! I'm me!" She charged at Rhapsodos, drew her two katanas together in a scissoring motion, and shouted, _"I am not a clone!"_

Rhapsodos blocked her scissors by holding his sword vertically, then leapt into the air, tilted forward, and cut deeply into Kamui's left shoulder. He dragged the blade out as she collapsed to the ground and dropped her swords. Her shaking right hand clutched the wounded shoulder. "Tell me. Did you ever dream about places you've never seen, or people you've never met?" Kamui bit her lip and clenched her fist. "Did you ever know your parents? And I don't mean just any parents. Do you know _who_ gave birth to you? What were your parents' names?" Rhapsodos smirked then shrugged. "But then, I can assure you, Seph doesn't know either."

She swallowed, and secondary eyelids flickered over her eyes. "I _don't_ know," she whispered hoarsely.

"There you are. You _are_ a clone," he chided. "_Clones aren't real_. They're merely _tools_ to be used and thrown away when they've served their purpose. Disposable… Now, for cleanup—I assume you won't mind. After all, clones have no free will. Besides, we can't have more than one _Sephiroth_ in the world, now can we?" He smiled slightly. "Soon enough, there won't be any." He approached her slowly and flicked his wrist to clear his sword of blood. Slowly Rhapsodos raised the rapier over his head and prepared to finish the woman off.

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Malik, the yellow-eyed, Soldier First Class commander of the Mideel base, stood on a darkened airstrip looking up at the night sky, his face grim and set, his hair and clothes blown violently about. He watched a civilian Shinra airship attempting to land without lights close above him. His hand-picked troops and fellow Soldiers stood at his back. They were ready…

**A/N—Sorry. I know it's a cliffhanger. Wonder if I can move before Bjanik can find me? But as she herself once wrote, "the chapter breaks where it breaks." **


	20. Conflict II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—We're still "real time" in New Banora. **

(11 pm, Mideel; 9 pm, Midgar; 5 pm, Gongaga; 1 pm, Wutai)

Lynette Hiland stood horrified in the remains of her office. Glass was everywhere. Every monitor was shattered, and several body guards were bound with video cable and gagged, while several more were dead. She began screaming, ending with the cry, "Angeal! ANGEAL!!" Lynette Hiland ran for the residential section of New Banora while shouting orders for _all_ the fighting clones to be released to the surface.

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In a ventilation shaft crawling upward, toward ground level, Rude's prosthetic arm was not functioning correctly. "Damn it," he paused, then called softly, "Sinclair! Hold up a second." Rude wasn't ready to reveal their Turk names yet. Vanessa-7's trust in him might shatter, and they still needed her help to get to the surface.

"Now what, yo?" Reno, in the lead, stopped.

"Something's wrong with this stupid arm. It's not connected right."

"Fine. You fix it, while I scout on ahead." Reno crawled up the shaft away from Rude.

"Yeah, fine." Rude turned his head and called over his shoulder, "Seven, give me a hand with this thing, will ya?"

Vanessa-7, who had been pushing their body-laden dolly while Rude pulled, crawled up to him. "How?"

"Here. Unzip me," Rude pointed over his shoulder to the back of his night Turk suit. "I'll see if I can fix this thing."

"OK!" Vanessa-7 initially moved the zipper pull quickly, but as it lowered, Rude could feel it move more and more slowly with each inch. When it finally stopped, he felt the clone's hand move aside the black fabric. She bared his upper back and left shoulder, and her fingertips dragged across his skin.

"Seven?" Rude felt her tongue move across his shoulder blade, then her fingers pulled the suit from over his shoulder and exposed his upper arm and the prosthetic's attachment plate. Rude felt a small shiver run up his spine and turned his head over his shoulder to see Vanessa-7 gazing quizzically at the juncture. "Seven?"

"I just wanted to see what you felt like… tasted like." Her head dropped. "Sometimes clones aren't kept around very long." Her voice sounded sad.

"Seven." Rude sighed. "Why aren't clones… 'kept'?" He paused, unable to think of a better word.

Vanessa-7 tilted her head sideways and looked at him, a pigtail swaying. "If Dr. Hollander doesn't like you, he sends you to disposal." Rude started. Genesis Rhapsodos had also condemned him and Reno to "disposal" as well. "Vanessa #3 dropped a bottle of GA#20 last week." Vanessa-7 shook her head sadly and looked away. "My sister isn't here anymore… I think Dr. Hollander'll be _really angry_ if he finds out I'm pushing him around on a cart."

"Nothing's going to happen to you, Seven." Rude gripped her upper arm with his right hand, then pulled her head to his partially bared chest. "You have my word." Rude smiled at her, then realized his facial muscles weren't used that action. Need to work on that.

"Okay." Vanessa-7 replied with none of her usual bright enthusiasm. "Thank you."

"Come on, you two! Break it up!" Reno had returned. Rude snarled.

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As Rhapsodos swung his sword at the injured Kamui, shotgun pellets collided with his hand and arm. _"What?!"_ The blade flew away while he gritted his teeth in pain and anger then clutched the shredded limb to his chest. The weapon embedded itself in the ground. More lead pellets slammed into Rhapsodos' side and shoulder. "Damn it!" He leaped back, out of the line of fire, and away from the woman, then grabbed the sword. Have to get healing materia!

Rufus Shinra ran forward out of cover as Rhapsodos moved away, but stopped once he realized that it would be useless for him to chase an ex-Soldier. Rufus slammed a shell into his shotgun then a sob caught his attention. When he realized that it was his _bodyguard_ who was crying, he rolled his eyes. "Stand up," he ordered. In a daze, Kamui stood by using one of her katanas to aid her while her wound seeped blood onto her shirt. Rufus nodded, "good." He inspected the woman—she had several nasty looking wounds—but he stopped cold when he realized the color of her hair and the nature of her eyes. "What?" He reached out a hand and rolled a few strands of the silver filaments between his fingers. "Just like his…" he whispered. Rufus stared at the cat-slit eyes, "exactly like him." Then milky, white inner-eyelids swept over her eyes. Startled, Rufus stepped back. His eyes swept the battlefield, and he readied his shotgun, "Can you fight? You're no good to me if you can't!"

Kamui nodded weakly, "yeah…"

Rufus flicked his bangs out of his face. "Good, because _we're_ about to have company." He pointed his shotgun toward at least a dozen grass-covered plates opening upwards from the ground. Throngs of grunts came surging forward—more clones had arrived.

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On the far end of the field Genesis glared at his mangled arm for a moment and grudgingly pulled out his PHS. "Argento, I want you to move toward the north front and clean up here. Oh, and if you see a _Sephiroth clone_ with a Turk carrying a shotgun, kill them!" As he hung up, he glared at his PHS then caught a glint from one of the clone's hairs caught on his glove. Thoughtfully, Rhapsodos wound the long hair around his forefinger then stuck it in his mouth and sucked on it—_yes_, the energizing, sweet taste of Jenova! It had been _so_ long. The ache in his degenerating shoulders subsided. He headed underground in search of materia.

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Tseng glanced around the battlefield and found that no matter how many clones his Turks mowed down, even more replaced them. He ducked behind a small apple tree. It was hardly adequate cover, yet it was the only cover available. Tseng spotted a clone, whipped out a pistol, and shot the clone in the head. He unloaded his empty magazine, exchanged it for one in a pocket, and inserted the new magazine, chambering smoothly. Looking up, he spotted a group of clones converging on a partially exposed, blond head near the ground, and his eyes went wide. Forgetting Turk protocol, he charged forward from the safety of the tree and shot down the clones. "Elena!"

The girl was slumped on the ground, her right hand clutching her left side, her eyes closed. As Tseng approached, Elena laid her head on the ground, panting. Tseng knelt beside her, and she opened her brown eyes. "I'm fine, sir. Just had the wind knocked out of me."

Tseng's brows knit under his chakram. He saw blood trickling between her fingers. He signaled to a group of nearby Turks using the signs for "medical attention" and "cover us." They nodded and set down suppression fire, while the commander turned his attention back to Elena.

Despite her blood loss, Elena felt a flush creep up her face as she watched Tseng's eyes sparkle with concern—and anger—in the faint moonlight. She knew she'd made a terrible mistake—she'd just lied to her boss!—and she dropped her gaze to the ground. Worse, she knew that he knew she'd lied to him! Commander Tseng had ordered the last man to lie to him terminated. Oh, she was in trouble!

"I need to see your wound." Elena nodded and slowly removed her hand. Tseng felt the color leave his face as he saw a long, deep sword slice below her ribs that penetrated her abdominal cavity. The wound was caked in blood.

"It's not that bad!" Elena defended, "I took out the guy who did this!"

The dark-haired Turk shook his head and pulled a cloth from one of his pockets. Carefully he daubed away the blood around the wound, inspecting it. Tseng lips tightened into a thin line. Damn it—Elena was insisting "it's not that bad" all the while her life was draining away! Have to watch her—that was two lies in three sentences—hopefully, it wasn't three lies in three sentences. Tseng applied his master materia to the wound and muttered, "Cure3," then watched the wound heal. He leaned back, breathed a sigh of relief, and then placed his hand on top her bloody fingers on the ground. "You…" he faltered.

Elena bit her lip, "I-I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time." She caught sight then of his hand atop hers.

"Elena… _Never_ lie to me." Tseng muttered as his hand tightened around hers. "And don't scare me like that!"

"Sir?" Elena gave him a puzzled, even fearful, look as she met his eyes.

"I care so much for you. I have tried to stay away from you, but I don't ever want to see you hurt again." Tseng whispered, "of course, we may not live that long given our present circumstances."

"I _promise_ to try harder next time." Elena saw the worry in his eyes and something else she hadn't expected. "Jayna told me she thought you liked me. Guess she was right…" Elena brought her free hand up and ran the back of her fingers against his clean-shaven cheek. She smiled. She liked the feel of his skin.

"Yes. She was." Tseng's free hand grasped her hand tighter against his face. Tseng watched her eyes—his interrogator senses fully extended. What he saw there made his heart turn over—his feelings were returned! Easy, Tseng, this is not really the time nor the place for this. His hardened features softened under the pale glow of the moonlight.

"Thank you, sir, for the cure."

Tseng leaned forward. "Call me 'Tseng,'" he muttered.

"You're welcome… Tseng," she whispered just before their lips met.

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Rufus Shinra jammed more shells into his shotgun in preparation to fire, but Kamui raised her hand and stopped him. "Wait a minute."

"Why?!" Rufus frowned at her.

"I don't like killing…"

"Fine. Whatever. But if you're planning on doing something, would you mind letting me in on it?" Rufus rolled his eyes before he focused on the woman.

"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?"

"And you're one to talk, Ms. Emotionally-Distraught-for-No-Apparent-Reason?!"

"Urgh! Just shut up and fight!"

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Genesis Rhapsodos stood at the door of the sample preparation room, and yelled. "Hollander! HOLLANDER! Where in the hell are you?!" He stormed through the sample prep room and into the store room—nobody there. Then it occurred to him. He had had no report that those pesky Turks had been sent through disposal. Just then, two of the cute Vanessas appeared at the door giggling and licking lollipops they'd clearly pilfered from somewhere. They froze, wide-eyed, at the sight of Rhapsodos. "Have you seen Dr. Hollander?" he snarled.

One Vanessa with a long ponytail shyly nodded her head, the other didn't move. "We were helping him look for the _men_, but we haven't seen him lately." The other Vanessa, her hair a mass of strawberry-blond curls, nodded her head vigorously, curls bouncing.

"What men?" Genesis asked suspiciously.

The first Vanessa tilted her head sideways, her ponytail swinging. "The new ones he said we could play with… from the surface. You know."

"What?!" There was no telling where Hollander was now, nor those blasted Turks. Hollander may well have betrayed him, but it rather sounded as though that hadn't happened; otherwise, the Vanessas wouldn't have been looking for the Turks. Rhapsodos' eyes narrowed. "And the pregnant woman?" Clearly there were no pregnant women in any of the tubes in sample prep.

"What's a 'pregnant woman'?" Both Vanessas stood there, gaping at him.

Rhapsodos pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. The headache was going to be fierce—maybe even a migraine. He was beginning to agree with Hollander. Clones might well be too annoying to live. "There was a woman with a large stomach brought in earlier in a flex tube. Do you know what became of her?"

The Vanessas shook their heads in sync, still wide-eyed. Damn those Turks. They were probably on their way to the surface. Have to stop them before they can link up with the other Turks topside! "Where does Dr. Hollander keep his materia?" The Vanessas looked at each other then back at Rhapsodos. "GET IT NOW!" The clones scattered. Rhapsodos stuck his hair-wrapped finger in his mouth and sucked on it again. The headache receded. He opened his PHS. "Argento. About the Sephiroth clone I ordered you to kill? _Capture it instead!"_

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Reno lifted the finely spaced mesh grate over his head and took one quick peek out, then another. Other than he was at one of those cement wells, all he could see were muzzle flashes of guns in every direction. "Damn. Looks like we're right in the middle of a battlefield, yo." He looked over his shoulder at his partner. "What do you think?"

Rude looked behind him at Vanessa-7. "Seven, take a look and see if you can tell where we are. Just don't stay up there very long."

"Okay. I think I know, but I'll see." Vanessa-7 squeezed past Rude then Reno. Suddenly the sound of a ricocheting bullet filled the shaft, and Vanessa-7 dropped to the floor with a cry.

"Seven!" Rude rushed to the clone then stopped. Vanessa-7 was curled in a fetal position on the floor, her eyes wide, but seemingly unhurt. He gathered her to his chest.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong. I missed. We're at the _monument_. We _can't _go there."

Rude put his face just inches from Vanessa-7's. "Why, Seven? _Why_ can't we go there?"

"Because it's _hers_…" Vanessa-7 whispered. She cringed, tears welled in her eyes, and she clung to Rude.

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Finally a ricochet caught Tseng's attention. Startled, he raised his head and examined their situation. From every direction, more clones were entering the fight. While he had good fighters, they only had so much materia and ammunition to go around. They were surrounded and would be overwhelmed before too much longer. He tapped twice on his communicator. "Everyone, converge on point Alpha!" While Tseng hated to call it a retreat, it certainly was a regrouping. He put a hand under Elena's elbow and half-carried her toward the convergence point. They needed to hold out a little longer…

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"You know, this really is like the old days!" Verdot shouted to his friend, Vincent Valentine. The two were moving cautiously, methodically, toward Alpha—kneeling back-to-back, Verdot firing pistols in each hand, Vincent shooting Cerberus in his right, both picking targets at a distance, and covering each other while they alternately reloaded. After several minutes at a position, the pair would break and run another forty or fifty feet further before resuming their back-to-back firing routine.

"Which old days?" Vincent opened Cerberus and dumped out spent bullet casings.

"Why, don't you remember Madame Elizabeth's wedding?!" Despite the desperation of the situation, Verdot's voice held a smile in it.

Verdot felt Vincent's shoulders jerk—his friend had almost laughed. "You have to bring that up _now_?!" He added more bullets to Cerberus.

Verdot sighted down the barrel of his right-hand pistol and fired a round into an approaching grunt. "Of course. Though how those bank robbers got into the church, I suppose we'll never know!"

Vincent raised Cerberus and fired the triple barrels into a party of grunts coming from his right. "Well, I wasn't about to let Fingers have her garter! Guess he thought he needed help?!"

Verdot flicked the switch to eject a spent magazine then slammed a fresh magazine into one of his automatics. "You never did get along with Fingers!"

"And you did?!"

"Not at all." Verdot fired off single bullets at five individual targets in a row, much like a shooting gallery. "How do you feel about a switch to machine guns?"

"…"

Even through the din, Verdot heard his friend's silence. "Oh yeah… Ready to move?" Vincent nodded. "On three. One… Two… Three!"

As the pair jumped to their feet and began their move to their next position, Vincent's head came up as if in response to a scent. Chaos had mentally kicked him—it's that way, over there. _Yes, it is. _Vincent elbowed his friend, jerked his head indicating a change of direction, and began dodging bullets and firing at grunts in his new path.

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"Seven! Come on. It's okay. We've got to go…" Reno reached up to push the grate away from the well and climbed out. "Come on, partner! Pass Tess up!"

"Right," Rude called back. He looked at the nearly hysterical clone in his arms then spoke gently to her. "Come on, Seven, we _really_ have to go. This is our chance to get out of New Banora. No matter _where_ we are, we _have_ to go. You'll be safe with us."

Vanessa-7 gazed into Rude's eyes, and Rude's breath caught in his throat. Vanessa-7 shook her head slightly, then leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. "Okay." Rude nodded and rose, barely loosening his grip on the shaking clone.

"Here, help me with Tess."

Vanessa-7 looked down at the silver bag. "I'd better start opening it. She'll be awake soon."

"Oh, yeah."

Vanessa-7 turned off the circulating pump and opened a spout on the bag. Mako solution trickled onto the floor. She closed the spout and partially unsealed the bag.

"What's holding things up?" Reno called.

"Com-ming!" Rude passed one end of the bag up to Reno.

Suddenly an evil smile lit Reno's face. "Hey, you suppose _Hollander's_ ever spent any time in a tube? Might be fitting to put _him_ in the bag for a change… Say—don't they call that _poetic justice_, or something?" Rude raised an eyebrow. He hadn't known his friend even knew that phrase—much less what it meant. Reno climbed back in the well, refitted the grate, and helped exchange the bodies.

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There! Right over there! Vincent sprinted ahead and began clearing grunts from the area of one of the cement wells with bullets. Ahead of him a metallic grate lifted from the well, pushed upward by a cautious hand. Vincent knocked the grate flying with his clawed hand, let Cerberus drop to the well top, gripped the hand hard with his right, and jerked the hand's owner up hard to look him in the face. "RENO! _Where's Tessa?_" he snarled.

"Valentine! Good to see you too, yo! And Old Bossman! _You too?!_" Reno smiled one of his insolent smiles.

Verdot had taken cover behind the well. "Would you hurry up? Bad guys are coming our way!" Vincent also took cover.

Reno climbed out of the well then turned and took a now lab-coated and blanket-wrapped Tessa by the shoulders and pulled her out then laid her gently near Vincent's feet. Next he pulled a body encased in a silver bag up from the well. This bag he dropped head first onto the ground. Looking at Verdot, Reno pointed at the bag, raised his eyebrows, and smirked, "Hollander." Reno then reached a hand into the well and helped a woman in jeans climb out who then crouched near the bag, "Vanessa-7." Finally, Reno helped his partner out of the well.

Rude crouched near the cement structure and assessed their situation. Spotting grunts dead on the ground, he acquired three machine guns and tossed one to Reno and another to Vanessa-7. "Seven, take this and shoot at the clones."

"What?! _Why?!_" Vanessa-7 hadn't really stopped crying, and Rude's suggestion only seemed to make her more upset.

"Just do it, okay? We have to get away. You don't have to kill them, but shoot them in the legs, all right? Here's how you work this thing…" Rude pointed out the gun's trigger and sights.

Reno leaned to pick up the wet mess that was Tessa, but suddenly, Vincent's clawed hand cut into Reno's arm. "Oh yeah. Sorry." Vincent gently put the pregnant woman sideways over his shoulder holding her with his clawed hand, and Rude did the same with Hollander, only far less gently.

"_Are we ready yet?!"_ Verdot looked around. The crowd of grunts surrounding them seemed to be getting thicker. They'd have to be lucky to make it back to the Turks.

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Argento impatiently snarled into her PHS. "Genesis, are you coming?!"

"I'm right here, baby." Argento jumped at the sound of Rhapsodos' voice directly behind her. She turned, smiled, and leaned toward her lover. Rhapsodos wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, pulled Argento tight against him, and kissed her hard.

"Um." Argento leaned back, then looked at Rhapsodos' chest with a start. "What happened to your outfit?"

Oops. Forgot to change. "Hmph. The Sephiroth clone got lucky. Have you taken care of it for me? Remember I want it alive."

"Haven't seen it, but we'll get it." She paused. "You ready?"

"Oh yeah. Let's get this mess cleaned up." Rhapsodos turned and waved an arm. "See? I've brought some back-up." Behind Rhapsodos stood monstrous versions of himself: clones with blue-green skin and triple wings arching upwards with claws at their tips and ax-like thumb spikes at their apexes, and spider-like arms growing directly out of their backs.

Argento smirked in approval. "G Regicides, 'king-killers.' Excellent."

Cccccccccccc

As they ran toward their comrades to the south, Vanessa-7 paused. The Banora monument stone was lying on its side on the ground. Where the stone had stood, a white-haired woman's body, encased in solid mako, was now revealed lying in the ground. Vanessa-7 screamed hysterically and ran full out.

Rude paused, "SEVEN!!" The escapees had paused in order for Vanessa-7 to catch up. As she got to them, Rude grabbed her by the waist to stop her. It was then that the group realized they were completely surrounded. Grunts mainly armed with machine guns and a few swords hemmed them in on all sides.

"You've _really_ made a mess of Grandmother's orchards. You'll need to clean this up." A voice came from behind them—the direction of the monument. Reno and Rude recognized that voice. Angeal Hewley…

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Tseng slammed the butt of his machine gun hard against the ground to seat the magazine—his last. He still had a handgun with several magazines of ammunition, but that wouldn't last long, not against these numbers. At point Alpha, the situation was deteriorating rapidly. He'd lost a number of Turks, many friends. Dr. Caperton and the medic had been working hard, but the regular healing materia supplies were nearly exhausted, and only he and the medics had mastered healing materia in their group. It couldn't keep them all alive. Already they'd suffered a number of casualties. He glanced at Elena, who was lying prone on the ground and firing steadily into their attackers. Tears streamed down her face. Her sister, Jayna, was dead. A bullet had entered Jayna's brain through an eye and killed her instantly. Then Richard, Jayna's partner, had been killed while attempting to rescue Jayna, not knowing she was already gone. Many other Turks had met similar fates. Tseng didn't even know what had happened to his boss, nor to his former boss for that matter. Somewhere out there were Rufus Shinra and Verdot, Vincent Valentine, Reno and Rude, even Tessa Romera, all dead as far as he knew. Have to hold out a _little_ _longer_. The phrase was becoming a mantra for Tseng…

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"Put your hands in the air, and set the bag and the woman on the ground, then back away."

Vincent heard the soft words, but he knew he couldn't, wouldn't, let go of Tessa. He'd felt her stirring over his shoulder. "… No…"

"Now!"

"No."

"'Now,' I said!" Hewley's voice was becoming rough with anger.

"_He said _'no,'_ Angeal."_ A new voice had entered the discussion.

Angeal Hewley's head rose. _"Sephiroth?!"_


	21. Conflict III

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—We're still "real time" in New Banora. **

(12 pm, Mideel; 10 pm, Midgar; 6 pm, Gongaga; 2 pm, Wutai)

Angeal Hewley's head rose. _"Sephiroth?!"_ He paused, then said with a smile, "How _good_ of you to come! How've you been? I understand congratulations are in order… Now, _they'll_ have to come with me."

"_No,_ Angeal."

Hewley turned. Fanned out behind Sephiroth were roughly two dozen Soldiers, including some old friends Hewley recognized: Niven, the most straight-laced man in Soldier, and Malik, the head of Mideel base, both to Sephiroth's left; and, Hewley's head rose, _Zack_--at _Sephiroth's_ right hand. Hewley smiled. "Hello, Zack. It's good to see you again. How's my Buster Sword? Been taking good care of it for me? Hm. Doesn't _look_ like it. You do know, I want it back."

Zack, his face thunderous and tears shining in his eyes, looked back at Hewley and shook his head slowly. How could this be? "You're _not_ Angeal," he snarled through gritted teeth and shook the Buster Sword in his hands. "He's dead. I know. _I killed him!_ _YOU'RE NOT ANGEAL!!"_

"Puppy… You're right," Hewley quirked an eyebrow, "and_ you're wrong_."

"What about 'honor,' and 'duty,' and 'loyalty'?" Zack hated the taste of bitterness. He raised the Buster Sword in a two-handed grip, left hand palm up, and level to the ground, ready to drive it into Angeal's traitorous heart where it was aimed.

"And what about 'friendship'? I see old friends arrayed opposite me, but, remember, my oldest, _best_ friend is on this side of the line. _He needs me_." Hewley raised his sword and stepped back into a fighting stance.

"We _all_ needed you, Angeal!"

The war was on. Everywhere Soldiers rushed forward to engage clones.

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As the First Classes had spoken, Cloud Strife, at Zack Fair's right hand, had glanced at Zack's face then looked back at the man on the opposite side of the field. So _this_ was Angeal Hewley, Zack's mentor and best friend. Well, Zack was _his_ best friend. No one would hurt Zack—not like this man was doing. If the opportunity arose, he, Cloud Strife, would do this for Zack…

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Tessa struggled and shook—cold… freezing. Her eyes slitted open—just blurs. She raised a hand and rubbed her eyes—yes, that hand was working against gravity. Blood was rushing to her head. Stimuli began to assault Tessa's senses. Her head jerked up slightly; she was lying sideways, but looking at black leather?! Finding "down" she could see black-clad legs and boots then dirt, crushed blades of grass, and even frantic small insects. "What the… bleck!" Something tasted clingy and sour. That's right—that was the _taste_ of mako. She'd been in a tube for a few days, but now she was _hanging in midair?!_ Spitting out mako jelly, she raised her arms and pushed on the black leather—a man's body, she thought, but not Sephiroth's. What was going on?! The knees below her bent, and Tessa felt herself lowered to the ground. Looking up, she found someone bending over her, then he propped her against his knee. "Vincent? Is that you?"

"…Yes…" Vincent looked away from her and began shooting from his kneeling position on the ground.

Looking around, Tessa found she was wrapped in a soggy blanket over an even soggier lab coat. "Ugh, what?" She shook her head trying to clear it. Suddenly, her ears popped, and Vincent's gunfire rang through her head, screamed across her mind. The sounds of gunfire and of metal blades biting into flesh reached her. Tessa alternated between clasping her hands over her ears and rubbing her eyes trying to clear them of mako.

Suddenly, the tear-streaked face of a woman with pigtails (pigtails!) filled her vision. "Are you okay?!" The pig-tailed woman set a machine gun on the ground, wrapped her arms around the shaking Tessa, and pulled her away from Vincent's knee. "Waking up from tube sleep can be hard. I'll bet you're cold, but there's nothing I can do to help. You're already wearing my lab coat." The woman gripped her harder. Tessa was surprised to find that they were both shaking.

Tessa swallowed, trying to stimulate saliva. "Who are you? Where are we? Where's Sephiroth? _Where's my husband? WHERE'S SEPHIROTH!" _Tessa could feel herself starting to panic. Deep inside, her stomach ached and quivered. She was afraid she was going to be violently ill. She wrapped her hands protectively around her abdomen. _"The baby! Is she all right?"_ Had the treatment worked? Was Lucy better? Tessa had to know—and soon. And how did she know the baby was a girl? In the dream the baby girls had seemed so real. She took a deep breath to suppress her panic, but her body continued to shake. She felt the need to stand up and walk around, but that probably wasn't a good idea given the circumstances. Deep breath. Another one. Try again—at the beginning. "Who _are_ you?"

The woman holding her smiled, a bit grimly Tessa thought. "I'm Vanessa #7."

All right. That response was singularly unhelpful. "Does that mean you're the seventh Vanessa of some kind?" I can work this out…

The pigtailed woman nodded eagerly, "Um hm," and smiled—a bit less grimly this time, Tessa thought.

O-kay—try, try again. "And _where_ are we?"

"The New Banora south orchard #32."

Tessa's stomach continued to churn. She was getting nowhere.

"Hey, Tess! You're awake!"

Tessa's head spun around to look on Vincent's far side. "Reno!" Vanessa-7 looked startled.

Reno reached around Vincent toward Tessa. "Here," he handed her his electromag rod. "Remember how to use this thing? Just in case—you know?" He shrugged and turned back to shooting in the opposite direction. Near Reno, Tessa caught sight of Rude also shooting.

Suddenly, familiar gold claws touched Tessa's arm. She jumped, "Vincent!" Tessa saw her father-in-law's red-gold eyes now peering at her, studying her. She realized she was still breathing too shallowly. Another deep breath. And another.

"…Tessa…" Valentine continued to study Tessa. "How do you feel?"

"Awful. _Where's Sephiroth?! Where are we?_ Please tell me!"

"We're on the island of Mideel, about ten minutes south of the city. You were kidnapped out of the tube in Shinra not quite twenty-four hours ago." Vincent raised his hand and pointed over the shoulder of a man Tessa didn't recognize directly in front of her. "As to your other question, look there."

Both Sephiroth and another man, very strong looking, had jumped into the air roughly a hundred feet away. The clash of Masamune on a claymore threw sparks into the air. Sephiroth leaned forward clearly overpowering the man. Soldiers were fanned out, dodging bullets, occasionally deflecting them, jumping often, and firing materia spells. Tessa began recognizing some of the Soldiers: steady Niven; young, blond Cloud; and _Zack_—of course—Sephiroth's right hand, darling Zack. Tessa gave a sigh of relief. Wherever they were, whatever was going on, things would be all right.

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The man Tessa hadn't recognized turned toward Vincent. "Verdot, this is Dr. Tessa Romera, General Sephiroth's wife. I believe Tseng told you she had been abducted from Shinra last night. Tessa, this is Verdot, the former commander of the Turks." Tessa nodded and smiled weakly. She wasn't sure she was up to such pleasantries as introductions in the middle of a war zone. Vincent paused to assess their tactical situation. "We should have everyone regroup here."

Verdot nodded. He pulled out his PHS. "Did you know that Sephiroth would be coming?"

"If his wife were in danger, I'd hardly think he would go to Wutai."

"That makes sense," Verdot nodded and dialed Kamui. He listened to the dial tone for a few moments.

The voice that came over Verdot's PHS, however, was not his daughter's. "Well, everyone wants to look at me!" Verdot winced and pulled the PHS away from his ear. "_I am_ _the_ _most important man_ _on the planet!"_ Rufus Shinra?! Vincent and Tessa looked startled at Verdot's phone.

"You're also the most pompous _ass_ on the planet!" Kamui shouted back at Rufus.

"I've never been so insulted in my life! You're fired!"

"You can't fire me—I don't work for you!"

Verdot sighed and ended the call before scrolling for Tseng's number. He laughed ruefully. "Don't mind her. She honestly means well, but sometimes she has issues taking orders. I'm sure Tseng will straighten her out."

Vincent raised an eyebrow. Tseng had his work cut out for him.

Tessa looked at the two men in shock. How could they be so calm?!

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Hewley leaped back from the silver-haired general, and both landed on the ground. A friendly hand caught him around the waist. "Well, Angy, it would seem you're having a bit of trouble. Mind if I cut in?" Genesis Rhapsodos stepped forward shielding Hewley with his body.

"_You…"_ Sephiroth snarled. His eyes narrowed to thin lines but the slits blazed with green mako_. "How _dare_ you kidnap Tessa and our baby! We're doing everything in our power to keep that child alive, and you threaten to kill it!"  
_  
"Ah, for a second there I thought you might be that pest… Why so serious, Seph? After all, this is the first time we've all been together in quite awhile." Rhapsodos shook his head and lowered his voice. "The answer to your question, of course, is 'Jenova,' but you don't want that word said aloud, do you?"

Sephiroth flicked the Masamune at Rhapsodos' chest and smirked. "Well… It looks like the mighty Genesis Rhapsodos met his match before I got here! Do tell—_what happened to your kisori?_ After all, you were the only other Soldier to wear his straps crossed—_just like me_."

Rhapsodos glared at Sephiroth. He'd forgotten to change during his materia search. Damn those Vanessa clones for distracting him! "I fell!"

Sephiroth's eyebrows rose up in amusement. "You fell?! I find that hard to believe. After all, you would have had to have tripped on a _sword_ to cut your straps like that."

"Shut up!" Rhapsodos snapped.

Hewley's hand came to rest on Rhapsodos' shoulder. "Don't let him get to you, G."

"You're right. After all, it's useless to argue with a _dead man_." Rhapsodos frowned then charged at Sephiroth with a lunge.

Sephiroth side-stepped then whipped the Masamune down with a flick of his left wrist for Rhapsodos' arm.

"Too easy." Sephiroth commented. "You've gotten slower, Genesis."

Rhapsodos danced aside, then swung his sword up in a slice for Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth dodged and half-circled around Rhapsodos, swung his sword upward in turn, and attempted to cut the traitor open from behind. Rhapsodos spun and blocked the Masamune with his rapier. Sephiroth could feel the gathering of magic behind Rhapsodos' body. As he completed his spin and block, Rhapsodos launched a fireball at Sephiroth. The Soldier general back-flipped out of the way, his silver hair flashing in the dark, and his foot catching Rhapsodos' chin. The former Soldier was thrown backwards. Sephiroth landed his flip gracefully, but Rhapsodos too recovered, somewhat less gracefully. Again feeling magic, Sephiroth jumped and avoided most of the Homing Fire3 Rhapsodos rained on him. On the downward portion of his jump, Sephiroth unleashed a strike to the head of the ex-Soldier. Rhapsodos ducked and slashed at Sephiroth's back as he landed. Rhapsodos' rapier grazed Sephiroth's leather coat and cut it open, but his attack failed to go any further. Sephiroth spun and introduced his right fist to Rhapsodos' face.

Hewley spotted Rhapsodos falling. He grabbed his friend's collar and leaped into the air. "Need a lift?"

"You know it," the traitorous former Soldier smirked.

They flew at Sephiroth. Hewley released Rhapsodos then launched a flurry of attacks, all aimed at Sephiroth's head and torso. The Soldier general blocked all of these effortlessly. Suddenly Sephiroth saw a magically charged rapier graze his side—he had to get rid of one of these attackers. He spun, kicked Hewley and sent him flying, then continued his spin and pummeled Rhapsodos into the ground. Hewley crashed into a nearby tree while Rhapsodos staggered to his feet with his back to Sephiroth. The silver-haired Soldier dove and slashed an overhead strike for Rhapsodos.

Rhapsodos spun and barely blocked the attack force-to-force, his left palm supporting his blade. Landing, Sephiroth continued to drive forward until the ground fractured under their feet. The ex-Solder drew his support hand away from his rapier, summoned fire to his left palm, and prepared to launch the magic point blank. Sephiroth saw this and gathered electricity between the fingers of his right hand. Grabbing Rhapsodos' fiery hand with his sparking one, Sephiroth sent a jolt of electricity into Rhapsodos. Rhapsodos screamed, and Sephiroth continued to crush his hand, electrocuting him. He wanted Rhapsodos to suffer for what he had done by kidnapping Tessa. Sephiroth dropped Masamune, grabbed the stunned Rhapsodos by his coat collar and belt, lifted him, and flung him into the collapsed Banora monument, crushing the stone.

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Verdot watched the fight between the three once known as the Soldier Triumvirate and shook his head, "They're still as brutal as ever… To think, they were once best friends…"

"You seem to know a lot about them," Vincent commented and pulled his attention away from the fight to look at his friend. Tessa stared aghast at Verdot. Vincent knew that, despite her expression, Tessa would soak up every bit of information Verdot was dispensing.

"I've known those three a long time. I was _with_ Madame Elizabeth when she scouted Rhapsodos and Hewley for Soldier. Sephiroth, though, no matter how intense the training, would only attack this way if he truly hated someone—as he did in Wutai." The former Turk nodded to where the Soldier had thrown Rhapsodos into the monument.

"I can understand what he's feeling—rage against someone attacking those you love." Vincent glanced around—several Turks had staggered up, attracted by the fight. "Have you been able to reach anyone?"

"No. I was about to try Tseng," Verdot replied as he dialed the current commander.

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Tseng's black eyebrows furrowed. Something wasn't right. A few minutes before there had been clones everywhere, but abruptly there had been a drastic decrease in the number of enemies they faced. He glanced down at Elena. Her darkened face had tear streaks, but she was no longer crying. He suddenly felt his communicator vibrate about his ear and tapped it. "Tseng."

"Lock onto my signal and bring anyone with you to my location." Verdot ordered.

"Yes, sir," Tseng nodded. "Sir, there's been a decrease in the number of clones in this area. All of them just took off."

Verdot paused as he considered this. "They're probably coming here. Sephiroth and around twenty Soldiers are here, as are Vince, Reno, Rude, several civilians, and some more of your people."

Tseng's eyebrows went up. "Dr. Romera?!"

"Yes, she seems all right. Reno and Rude also bagged Hollander, literally, and a young…" Static—then the line went dead.

Tseng's pulled up his tracker and locked onto the last signal of Verdot's PHS. He turned to the group as they finished the straggling clones. "We're moving out, north by northwest, immedi…" Tseng stopped abruptly as something leaped out of the bushes. A dozen startled Turks raised firearms toward the sound preparatory to firing. A shouting young woman with silver hair was carrying, "Mr. President?!" Tseng shouted in surprise as the woman continued running across the field, Rufus Shinra slung over her shoulder. Two swords were sheathed on her back—Verdot's daughter?!

Rufus couldn't hear the Turk commander over his argument, "Put me down!!"

"No chance of that, you slow-poke!" She shouted back at him.

"_I am not slow!"_

Tseng watched the pair move away, shook his head, then checked his tracker—they were heading in the correct general direction. He turned back to his group. "As I was saying—we're moving out immediately." At least the president was alive and unharmed. Tseng walked over to Dr. Caperton. "Dr. Romera is with Verdot and Valentine."

Dr. Caperton's eyebrows went up. "Really?! Excellent! Do you know anything about her condition?"

Tseng shook his head. "From what I understand she is out of the tube and awake."

The doctor nodded. "I want to see her _as soon as possible_. We need to hurry."

"Right," Tseng nodded and turned to the rest of his group. "Move out!"

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Tessa Romera watched the fight wide-eyed. She had never truly appreciated how dangerous Sephiroth could be when angered. "Seph…" She knew he had a temper, knew he was the best warrior the world had ever seen, knew he usually fought completely cold, emotionless. But this… this wasn't her husband! This man was closer to the one who had shown up in the Nibelheim reactor. "Please… somebody stop them…" she whispered. Trembling, Vanessa-7 buried her face in Tessa's shoulder. With each burst of Rude's machine gun the woman jerked and cried. Tessa patted her shoulder--there was nothing else Tessa could do for her.

Vincent tried to explain. "You were kidnapped by Genesis Rhapsodos' forces. We believe Rhapsodos is after the baby's Jenova tissue." Tessa gasped. Jenova tissue?! "Wutai is in rebellion, every reactor on the planet has been under monster attack, and Shinra has been in disarray since you entered the tube." Vincent's jaw locked as he watched his son. If Sephiroth persisted much longer, then Vincent would have to stop him. They still needed information out of Rhapsodos—they needed him alive. "With you in the tube, Sephiroth has been leashing himself tightly for days. With you kidnapped…" Tessa knew.

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As soon as Rhapsodos hit the monument, Sephiroth looked at the lightning fingering the clouds to the west. He raised the Masamune over his head, and a low thrum of gathering energy grew in volume and power in the area. Streaks of lightning from the western clouds forked and leapt to Masamune's tip while sparks spiraled from the ground to Sephiroth's feet. The ground's static spun almost lovingly upward around his body. Rising, the streaks curled and played over Sephiroth's teeth, flattened over his eyes, and danced over his fingers holding the sword. At Sephiroth's bidding, all the charge gathered at the tip of the sword. The electricity felt like anger—the anger he'd barely held in check for days—the anger at himself for putting his family in danger in the first place—the old anger at friends' betrayals—the anger at a friend's attack on his family. His family! A crack of thunder pulsed through the air as Sephiroth brought Masamune down in a streak of light aimed for Rhapsodos' body.

_Sephiroth. Don't. We need Rhapsodos alive. He's got to answer questions. _Vincent spoke in Sephiroth's mind.

_Why are you bothering me now? I am _killing_ Genesis. He'll never hurt _us_ again. Never! _The sword continued its downward arc.

_Do you really want your wife to watch you kill your old friend?_ The image of Vincent shaking his head and Tessa trembling near Vincent's leg, horrified at the sight, holding a crying woman tightly, came to Sephiroth's mind. _Are you _such_ a monster? _

_Monster?!_ The sword paused in its swing. Sephiroth glanced down at his Masamune, still as pristine as when he had begun the fight. Vincent was right. _Damn it! _He took a deep breath then touched the sword to the orchard floor and grounded the electrical charges. A silence filled the air as if all the combatants were holding their breaths waiting for the next few seconds to pass.

Sephiroth glanced at Tessa and Vincent through his bangs and noted Reno and Rude and even old Verdot near them. "RENO! Do you still have those _Soldier-proof_ cuffs?" With a glance at each other and a mischievous grin by Reno, the two Turks stood. Reno and Rude moved cautiously toward Rhapsodos and pulled out their handcuffs as they went. They didn't look anxious for this job, but the cuffs had held Sephiroth. Genesis Rhapsodos should be no problem. Sephiroth took a last look at the immobile traitor, straightened, then walked to his family.

"It's over… Tessa." Sephiroth hated the look on her face. It was wrong for her to be terrified… to be terrified _of him_. She was the one good thing in his life, and he'd been about to show her how truly monstrous he was. Sephiroth knelt before her, set Masamune carefully beside him, then pulled Tessa away from the woman beside her into his arms. One hand bunched in the waves of her copper hair; the other flattened against her stomach and their child. Sephiroth's voice whispered in her ear. "It's finally over. When this mess is cleaned up, we'll go home!"

"Sephiroth. _My love_," Tessa whispered, hugging him tightly. Their lips met, tentatively at first, then in an aching need of fire. Even after everything, Sephiroth wanted her right there—to touch her, to have her touch him—to reassure himself of her.

Tessa leaned back to look in her husband's eyes. She didn't like what she saw there. Shadows. Hauntings. What had he been through these last few days? She took his head between her hands. "Have you been eating?!" It started deep inside Sephiroth. Just one. A chuckle. She felt his body jerk. Then another. A bit of relief. Then a true laugh. He gazed back at her, smiled—the mask cracking—and shook his head in wonder. Sephiroth reached inside his ruined battle coat (have to order another one) and drew out a half-eaten, mint-chocolate Tessa bar.


	22. Conflict IV

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—We're still "real time" in New Banora. **

(12 pm, Mideel; 10 pm, Midgar; 6 pm, Gongaga; 2 pm, Wutai)

"There he is!" Zack's eyes followed Hewley. Sephiroth had kicked Hewley into a tree when both he and Rhapsodos had attacked Seph. "My turn… Damn it!" He didn't want this confrontation.

At the tree, Zack leveled the Buster Sword at Hewley's throat. "Remember this sword?! _You told me_ that it was your family's pride! _You told me_ that I was even more important than _this_! _You told me_ I was important to _you!_ What happened to _that_, Angeal?!"

Hewley looked at his sword in Zack's hands. He slid down the tree holding his claymore above his head in one hand with his other in a pocket. To Zack, Angeal looked completely unconcerned with the situation—relaxed, even casual. Angeal shook his head. "You've been _using_ it, I see. I suppose that was your way of 'honoring my memory'?"

Zack's eyes widened. "Yes!" Zack stepped back and made ready to stab Hewley in the heart. The former Soldier easily blocked the attack with his claymore force-to-force. Yes, that was right. Angeal only ever _passed_ attacks from Sephiroth. He had been stronger, more overpowering, than every other man in Soldier—except Seph. Rotating the huge blade, Zack turned the stab into a slash for Hewley's knee. Instead of blocking this attack force-to-force, however, Hewley did something Zack had never seen him do—he stepped to Zack's right—his _outside!_—and pushed the huge blade away. Zack, not ready for Hewley's passing move, was thrown off balance for just an instant, and Hewley grabbed Zack about his waist, pulled him close, and pinned both Zack's arms. Zack squirmed. This was so wrong!

"I would have thought you'd have learned not to be thrown around by it," Hewley commented.

"You are not _Angeal!_" Zack snarled.

"Za-ack," Hewley said with a smile in his voice. "It's okay. It's really me. I promise."

"No… Promise me, you won't make me do it… _I won't do it again!"_

"I won't make you do it again." Hewley rolled his eyes. "I promise. I won't make you—Bio2." Against Zack's lower back, hidden in his left hand, Hewley held a mastered bio materia, "because you won't live long enough to do it."

"Angeal… _why?_" Zack muttered as the poison coursed through his system. He could already feel the initial dizziness.

"Because, Genesis needs me." Hewley glared coldly at Zack then whispered. "_My brother _needs me." He dropped Zack, turned, and walked away.

"_Brother?!"_

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Tseng glanced at Elena under his shoulder. She was staggering with exhaustion. While healed of the terrible wound in her abdomen, she was tired. The deaths of Jayna and Richard had hurt her more deeply than had the grunt. Elena looked up at him. The trust and the hurt in her eyes were more terrifying to him than their current situation. He pulled her tighter to his side. Many of his other people were hurt just as badly as she, but they were now nearing the location of Verdot's signal. Hopefully, close to the Soldiers there would be some measure of safety for the exhausted Turks.

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Kamui had finally set Rufus Shinra down. Her shoulder was bothering her, and her passenger was heavy—none of which put a pause to their argument.

"In fact, you look just like General Sephiroth. Since my company _made_ him, we must have _made_ you as well; _therefore,_ _you_ _belong_ _to me!"_ Rufus Shinra never saw it coming. As soon as the words left his mouth, Kamui's fist became a close acquaintance of his face. "Why'd you do that?!" Rufus clutched his jaw against the swelling.

"Bastard! I don't belong to anyone! Much less _you!"_

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Every bone in Genesis Rhapsodos' body hurt, especially his crushed and electrocuted left hand! "Damn you, Sephiroth! I _will_ have _Jenova_ tissue!" Rhapsodos still lay on the broken bits of the Banora monument. He gazed at the now-revealed body of the old woman. "I _will_ have it, Lynette!" He brought his finger to his mouth and sucked desperately on the hair wrapped around it. Rhapsodos felt the healing effect of the Jenova cells in the hair. He came to his knees and pulled a few more hairs from his pocket, wound them, then swallowed them—more Jenova cells.

Dreams of the morrow hath shattered soul

Pride is Lost.

Wings stripped away, the end is nigh

_Loveless_, Act V.

From the corner of his eye, Genesis could see the two Turks he'd tried to dispose of approaching him with handcuffs. No! They wouldn't take him! Rhapsodos stood and raised a hand over his head, and a summoning trigram appeared in the sky. With a glance at each other, the Turks scrambled away to the safety of their earlier position. Overhead clouds funneled downward, and a golden beam of light descended from above.

On his knees with Tessa, Sephiroth stiffened. That ripple. There was magic—big magic!—behind him. Of the people in this fight that were capable of such strong magic, only Genesis was close by. It had to be him, but how could he have recovered? Sephiroth glanced at Tessa and felt the mask slip back over his features. She gazed back at him sadly and wrapped her fingers around the snack. Sephiroth's hand that had so recently held her Tessa bar now returned to the hilt of his sword. He stood and took one last look at his family then turned to see a metallic, gold dragon descending from a summoning portal. Sephiroth momentarily closed his eyes; as he had gathered electric charges to Masamune, now he soaked in spirit energy. He would need it to fight a dragon. _Vincent. _Don't_ stop me again. This has to end._

A mental sigh came from Valentine._ Fine. I'll take care of everything._

"Summons, Genesis? _Honestly!_ I thought you had outgrown such _childish_ maneuvers." Sephiroth shook his head and moved at an angle away from his wife, getting Tessa out of the direct line of fire, as the monster swooped to the ground to land on the fallen monument. The dragon's jaws opened, and it roared a challenge. "Bahamut Fury…" Sephiroth brought Masamune into his familiar thrust position and prepared to attack. Before he could do so, however, Bahamut Fury launched three massive fireballs that scorched everything in their paths—trees, grass, even evaporating dead bodies. Sephiroth leaped toward the monster then swung for its shoulder. The Masamune met plated armor that deflected the attack. The Bahamut's clawed paw swatted Sephiroth away as though he were a bug and shredded his battle coat. The General hit the ground skidding then flipped and landed on his feet. Sephiroth wiped his chin on the back of his glove as he studied the dragon, eyes searching for gaps in the armor. He didn't have long to look though—the summoned dragon roared furiously. Most of the spines on the dragon's wings fired off like missiles, all aimed for Sephiroth.

Sephiroth sprinted forward and avoided most of the spines as they overshot. One, however, pinned his coat to the ground tripping him. Sephiroth hit the ground face first, and blood gushed from his nose. Damn, this thing was a pain in the neck. Just then, all the spines returned to the dragon's wings. Sephiroth stood and wiped the blood from his face. He studied the creature while he continued to gather spirit energy. There were no gaps in Bahamut Fury's frontal defenses! Maybe behind... Sephiroth jumped into the air and over the gold dragon. Yes. There. Neither of the wing joints nor the back of the neck had protection. Sephiroth landed. No! The dragon's tail hit him and sent him flying toward the remains of a burning, broken tree. Sephiroth rotated and hit the burning trunk feet first, pushed off, and then landed crouched on the ground.

Bahamut Fury howled and launched itself into the air. Higher and higher the dragon climbed. From his crouched position, the General's eyebrows furrowed. What was it doing at that height? Exaflare!! At that instant he caught a glimpse of Genesis leaning casually against a tree, well away from the battle.

As a massive, superheated, plasma beam engulfed where he had crouched moments before, Sephiroth launched himself skyward. Bahamut Fury landed. Focusing on the massive beast, Sephiroth gathered his accumulated spirit energy, raised a hand, and declared, "Descend, Heartless Angel!" The dragon collapsed. He had used one of his most powerful attacks to destroy the creature, but 'heartless angel,' had drawbacks. It had required a long charge period and now came the recovery time—there would be no more magic for a while. Sephiroth landed near the defeated dragon and stabbed the back of its neck, finishing it. Bahamut Fury's body faded into small green bits.

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It was a magnificent sight—Sephiroth in mid-air declaring, "Descend, Heartless Angel!" above a gold dragon—that greeted Tseng and his people on their arrival at Verdot's position. "Gaia, look at it, Elena! We may never see such a thing again." Elena nodded her head, her mouth in an "O," and her blond hair still escaping from its hood. With the defeat of the dragon, the remaining Turks' attention returned to their commander. Tseng circled a finger. Elena and her fellow Turks fanned out to enlarge and secure their position. All had acquired weapons and ammo from their dead enemies as they'd approached. Tseng didn't like the weapons, but he didn't have much choice in the matter.

"Situation?" Tseng knelt near Verdot and Valentine. Tseng noted that Dr. Caperton immediately turned his attention to Dr. Romera, a stethoscope on her abdomen, and shook his head. Tseng grimaced—something else potentially not going well.

"Not bad here, all things considered." Verdot paused. "But I think you'd better talk to Reno and Rude. We'll have to clean out the facilities underground."

"Right."

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"_You_ are the world's biggest _asshole_." Kamui rubbed her shoulder while keeping a fist ready to beat in Rufus Shinra's face.

"I am not!" Rufus was aghast. No one, with the exception of his father, had ever spoken to him like this.

"You _are,_ and I'll prove it to you… Tell me, do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend back home?"

"What?! Of course. The women fall all over me!"

"Have you ever had a _second_ date with any of them?"

"Of course I have!"

"Recently?"

"Er… no…"

"Ha! You see, you're a pain in the ass!"

"Well, maybe you wouldn't think that if _you_ went out with me!"

"What?! Are you offering?"

"Are you accepting?"

"If we live through this… maybe!"

Ccccccccccccccc

"What was that?" Argento peered through the darkness. So far, getting rid of the Turk infestation had only proven to be grunt work. The Deep Ground Tsviet turned and was leaving the New Banoran clone army to deal with their problem, when loud voices a short way off caught her attention. Moving cautiously, Argento spotted a silver-haired girl, probably in her late teens, and a blond Turk. Both were yelling at the tops of their lungs. Argento raised an eyebrow. Was it the Sephiroth clone and the shot-gun toting Turk? Yes. Had to be. Genesis hadn't said _how_ alive the clone needed to be. Argento closed her eyes and concentrated her spirit energy--glad once again that Tsviets didn't need materia for their specialty attacks. "Sonic Impulse."

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Cloud Strife blocked another attack from the huge blue monster he had engaged alongside Major Niven. As he blocked, Cloud saw Angeal Hewley walking away. As Hewley moved, Zack was revealed lying on the ground, unmoving, his skin turning a sick shade of green.

"Stay focused, Strife!" Niven ordered.

"But Zack!" the blond protested as he ducked a sweep of the monster's claws.

Niven spotted Zack. Green! Damn—Bio spell! "Strife, I can handle this. Go help Zack!" Cloud's eyes widened as Niven passed a swipe of the clone's scimitar. "Get going! That's an order!"

The Third Class nodded and avoided another claw swipe. He broke away from the fight and ran for the First Class. "Zack! ZACK!" Cloud knelt next to Zack, but Zack's hand seemed to be pointing somewhere. "What is it, Zack?"

"Ant…" Zack muttered. He knew he shouldn't have moved when poisoned. "Angeal. D-Don't… Spike… You're no… match…" The black-haired man muttered, his eyes watching Cloud.

"Just rest a little, Zack. I've got this one." Cloud stood, saluted, then charged after Hewley.

Hewley was standing watching Sephiroth battle the dragon in the distance, his back to Zack. Suddenly his precog pinged. Someone was charging him from behind! Hewley spun and easily blocked the Third Class' attack. "Hmm. Well, you wish to fight?"

"You're gonna pay for what you did to my friend!" Cloud shouted.

"So… It would seem the Puppy has picked up a puppy of his own," Hewley calmly deflected another slash from Cloud. The blond lifted his sword and attempted an overhead slash. Hewley easily blocked it and pushed Cloud's sword away. "Your strength is good, but you need to work on speed."

"Speed? Fine." Cloud let go of the Baby Buster's handle with one hand and pushed its release trigger. The now-released half sword flew into the air. As it flew, Hewley swept aside Cloud's original sword. Hewley pushed it down before his left arm wrapped around Cloud's, the blade against his shoulder guard. Hewley lifted his elbow and sent the first sword into the air. Cloud's mind screamed in recognition of the move—snake disarm!—and he wanted to kick himself for falling victim to such an elementary move! The "disarmed" sword collided with its brother in mid-air. Both flew away from Cloud. Hewley brought his knee into Cloud's groin, and the Third Class choked as the air rushed from his lungs. He collapsed coughing to the ground on his knees. Hewley placed his claymore along the blond's chin.

"You still have a lot to learn," Hewley shook his head.

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Precog! Kamui leaped away from Rufus Shinra. A wave of air pressure scythed around her, turning branches and leaves into blades and knives. Pain! Her right ear hurt! She fell to the ground clutching her ear and felt moisture. The ear was bleeding—her eardrum was probably shattered! Her balance was probably going to be garbage—have to use empty-hand techniques instead of weapons. The swords would only worsen her coordination.

"I don't see how you caused Genesis so much trouble." Kamui looked up. A beautiful, dark-haired woman was standing over her with a sword! Kamui kicked herself around to her right side and slammed her foot into the woman's knee. The woman staggered back.

Kamui struggled to her feet. "Who are you?!"

"I am Argento the Silver. _You_, on the other hand, are the clone Genesis has ordered captured, so be a good clone and surrender." She pointed her sword at Kamui.

"No way! Call me a 'clone' again, and I'll kick your ass!" Kamui snarled, pupils thinning.

"If you're eager to die, so be it." Argento swung for Kamui's head. Kamui leaned back, avoiding the attack, then palm-heeled Argento in the solar plexus, fracturing her body armor. The Tsviet flew back a few feet coughing, then charged forward and slashed for Kamui's injured shoulder.

Kamui stepped to the outside of the attack and grasped Argento's outstretched arm with her left hand. Simultaneously she pulled with left hand toward her while her right hand pushed hard outward and upward on the flat of the Tsviet's blade sending the long sword flying. Landing thirty feet away, it then skittered further on the ground. While Kamui held the Tsviet in place with her left, she lifted her leg then drove her foot into the older woman's cheek. She let go, and Argento was thrown to the ground.

"A capable falcon hides its talons," Kamui smirked at the stunned Tsviet, then turned to leave. Suddenly Kamui was thrown forward and hit the ground face down. What?! A large, horizontal gash appeared in her back, and along her elbows. More pain! Argento had launched another of those air pressure attacks! Damn! Kamui had turned her back to her enemy. Idiot!

Argento stood up. "As you said, a capable falcon hides its talons. My position as Tsviet doesn't permit me to be defeated so easily—especially by a _measly_ clone." Argento hastily dashed for her sword as the teenager staggered to her feet. Retrieving the sword, Argento swung for the silver-haired girl in a feint then punched her in the left eye. The teenager recoiled, clutched her eye, and howled in pain. Argento slammed her knee into the girl's stomach, then kicked her into a pile of debris on the ground. "It's a pity I can't kill you now, but Genesis needs you alive, and _I_ need Genesis."

"Why?" Kamui muttered, still nursing her injured eye. "Why would _you_ need anyone?"

"Hmph. Apart from the fact I love him, he's promised to free Deep Ground from the Restrictors." Bitterness coated Argento's voice when she said 'Restrictors.' "This is the only way to get Genesis' help. Tell me, did you ever hear of the Lost Squad of the Terra Soldiers?"

"Hm." Kamui paused. "Didn't they disappear during the war with Wutai?"

"Exactly. After proving their worth wiping out the Ragnarok core, they became the overlords of Deep Ground. The oppressors of Deep Ground, I should say. Recently, however, Genesis appeared and promised Weiss, our leader, he would rid us of the Restrictors."

"So that's why…" Kamui nodded. "It would seem I've been going about this the wrong way." She removed her hand from her swollen-shut left eye. "Forgive me. I can see you have an honorable intent. From now on I'm coming at you with everything I've got."

Argento nodded and pointed her sword at the girl. "_I_ wouldn't have it any other way."

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"What are we likely to face below ground?" Tseng questioned his two, long-missing Turks.

"Yo, bossman, you have _no_ idea." Reno took an elbow from Rude.

Rude took over the report. "The place is filled with tubes and clones, _and_ a huge, natural pool of mako—about _five times_ bigger than the Nibelheim reactor pool. We always heard that Mideel was geologically unstable. Well, if that pool goes, it'd probably take the whole island with it."

Vincent barely heard the rest of Rude's report. Chaos had mentally kicked him again. Can't let the pool explode; something bigger than the island sinking could well happen.

"Chief, that is Vanessa-7." Rude indicated a worried-looking, pig-tailed woman in tee-shirt and jeans who was hovering between Tessa and Dr. Caperton. "She is one of the New Banora clones, but she _helped_ us get out of the underground complex. She would probably lead us back through, but she's upset that so many of her fellow clones are being destroyed. Honestly, I think that if Genesis Rhapsodos and Vester Hollander weren't here, the clones would probably live quietly and farm apples." He glanced about looking for something, then spotted the silver bag. "Also, that bag contains Vester Hollander." Rude moved to the bag that had proved a comfortable seat for Reno. "Seven, have you checked on Hollander lately?"

Tseng watched as the woman started, shook her head a bit sheepishly, then pushed Reno's leg aside to read some control panels. "He's okay. We need to let his head out though, so he can get some air."

"Reno." Tseng ordered, "You're in charge of keeping the prisoner quiet." Reno smirked.

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Kamui didn't charge; instead, she set into a fighting stance and simply waited. Argento paused wondering what the girl was doing; so far the teenager hadn't drawn her swords. Why was she waiting? Seconds turned into minutes. Argento shook her head, raised her right arm, and sent another wind blade at the teen, who barely rolled out of the way. Argento tried again and again missed by a slight margin. This was strange. With her eye uninjured, the girl had been vulnerable to the attack, but she still had a perfectly good eye… unless… The Tsviet leaped into the air and crashed her foot onto Kamui's right shoulder. Aha! That proved it; the girl was blind in her right eye. The girl rolled again. As she stood, Argento thrust her sword into the girl's stomach, and it broke through her back covered in crimson.

"It would seem that Deep Ground may yet be strong enough to overcome the Restrictors…" Argento muttered as Kamui hacked up blood.

"D-Don't underestimate me…" the girl coughed. Kamui grabbed the guard of Argento's sword with her left hand, then pulled herself further on to it. Electricity arced between the fingers of her right hand while the air throbbed with the build-up of power. She grabbed Argento's face and poured in the electricity, sunk a finger into Argento's eye destroying it, then pulled her hand back and punched Argento as hard as she could in the chest. Argento's broken chest armor shattered, and Kamui's hand broke ribs.

Argento fell over clutching her chest—her right lung had collapsed! "M-maybe… not… but…" She coughed. Her still functioning lung had started into overdrive to oxygenate her blood. "Y-You… _What's your name?!"_

"Kamui."

**A/N—Why is it every character wants his/her big moment in the climatic fight scene? Angeal Valentine tells me, "Because they're awesome like that." Arg!**


	23. Conflict V

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—I wanted to include a note about the "eye carnage" as Bjanik put it in her review. ****After I wrote the earlier Argento chapters, Angeal Valentine showed me a second picture of Argento (remember she's canon!). The new picture actually showed her with a patch over her right eye! Turns out the first picture AV showed me was a profile of Argento's left side! Suddenly I had to destroy her eye! Yikes! I guess that makes me "the-blind-leading-the-blind!"**

**We're still "real time" in New Banora—and will be for a few chapters yet.**

"Come out here, Genesis! I _know_ you saw that!" Sephiroth shouted, the dead dragon disappearing at his feet.

"_Bra-vo, Sephiroth!"_ Rhapsodos swaggered from the trees, seemingly fully recovered, his hands clapping lightly together. "I would not have expected any less from the one hailed as the _greatest warrior in the world."_

"How did you recover so quickly?" Sephiroth snarled. Not even a Cure3 could restore energy to a person; it could only heal physical wounds.

"Ah, I suppose I should thank _you_ for that. Without your _clone's _generous tissue donations, I wouldn't have found such a _succulent_ snack." Rhapsodos smirked and pulled several silver hairs from his pocket. He took one hair, curled it, tilted his head back, and dropped it, glinting, into his mouth.

Sephiroth pointed Masamune at Rhapsodos. "_What is that?!_ Explain yourself. _Now!_"

"_Oh my!_ And _spoil the surprise?_ I think not. Though I doubt _you'll_ ever find out. Pity. _You'd_ want to kill it yourself." Rhapsodos laughed lightly. "_I_ have to save it somehow."

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"Wait! What did he say?! He's eating _tissue_ from a _clone?_ A clone of _Sephiroth?!"_ The usual whirring in Tessa's brain was starting again. _"There's a Sephiroth clone here?!"_

"Gaia! What's happened to her?" Verdot sat back on his heels, stunned, indeed deflated. He pulled out his PHS and hit a speed-dial code. The call immediately went to voice mail. "Kamui, call me instantly when you get this! Please!" He slowly lowered the phone from his ear and stared at it for a second. There really was nothing else to say…

Vincent leaned toward his friend. "_That_ was it, wasn't it? That _look_ you gave her when 'Jenova' came up on the way here!" Vincent, too, looked thunderstruck. "Kamui is a Sephiroth clone, isn't she?"

"Kamui? Who's that?" Tessa looked between the two men. "What's going on?" Something strange certainly. Her whirring brain was processing both their conversation and Sephiroth's and Genesis' across the field.

"My daughter." Verdot shook his head. "My _adopted_ daughter, that is… I found Kamui wandering the slums of Midgar shortly before I retired. Indeed, I retired primarily to get her _out_ of Midgar and brought her here to Mideel." He sighed. "I checked the area where I found her. A Tuesti building project had collapsed an old underground laboratory of Hojo's. There were _dozens_ of smashed tubes filled with the bodies of Sephiroth clones—all were dead—with notes about conditions and growth accelerant everywhere. Hojo probably set them up before Sephiroth left for the war in Wutai. There was _one_ tube at the end of _one_ row in a corner that had been broken open by a fallen beam that was _empty._ It must have been hers…" He came up on one knee preparing to leave. "I have to find her…"

Vincent put his hand on Verdot's shoulder and pushed him back down. "You can't go now. I'll help you look shortly."

"You don't understand, Vince." Verdot looked at his friend, a sad expression on his face. "I lost my wife and Elfé in that fiasco—that massacre!—in Kalm." He shook his head. "You may not even know about it, but I couldn't stand to lose anyone else close to me."

"Verdot, my friend." Vincent's hand bunched in the fabric of Verdot's black night suit, his head close to Verdot's. "I _do_ understand… At this point in my life, I couldn't bear to lose anyone in _my_ family, either." Vincent then extended his hand in the blood-line handshake configuration for a secret. Verdot paused, then grasped that hand for the second time that night. Vincent leaned closer to Verdot and whispered. "_Don't_ you remember? I told you my daughter-in-law banged on my box to get me to help her? That woman is Dr. Romera, and _my son is Sephiroth_. _I _am your daughter's biological father." Vincent paused at Verdot's startled expression. "In a _very strange way_, you and I are family. _We'll_ look for Kamui, for_ our _daughter, shortly." Vincent turned his mind to try to touch the girl's. If he had a mental connection with Sephiroth, then it was conceivable he might be able to touch Kamui's mind as well.

"A little while ago, I saw her headed this way with the president," Tseng offered.

Verdot leaned back and looked at his successor. "I'm sorry, Tseng, but that's not much comfort. Kamui has an absolutely _horrendous_ sense of direction… I once sent her on an errand to Mideel. It was two weeks before she showed up again, and she had completely missed the city—she'd been at some swordsmith's and wandering around eating _Banora white_ _apples_." Verdot suddenly looked old. "She_ literally_ could be anywhere."

Tessa shook her head. "How's Sephiroth going to take this? That he has a _clone_? A _sentient_ _female_ clone at that..." She looked at Vincent and decided to take a cue from him. "Maybe Sephiroth has a _sister?_" She nodded and smiled at Vincent slightly, and he nodded back. That Genesis-person could be right—Sephiroth could well want to kill a clone. Vincent would protect his old friend and _their_ daughter. Tessa's smile faded. "Strange. Sephiroth has a fabulous sense of direction. How could there be such variation?"

"Happens all the time." Tessa's head snapped at Vanessa-7's words; she'd forgotten the woman was there, hearing so many of their secrets. "While we all look alike, we're often very different—mainly our abilities. My sisters and I talk about how different we are all the time." She shrugged. "What, you think we'd discuss how _alike_ we are? That's _dull_, believe me."

"Oh-h… The _seventh Vanessa_." Tessa smiled slightly. "You're a clone." Tessa realized she was just a bit slow after her long sleep. She hugged Vanessa-7. "Thank you for helping me." Vanessa-7 smiled back. Tessa's mind continued to churn right along with her stomach, however, and her smile faded. How did eating clone tissue help Genesis? Oh. Cloned _Jenova_ tissue. Who was Genesis anyway? A First Class who had betrayed Soldier in Wutai. Zack had told her that much and that there had originally been two other super-Soldiers besides Sephiroth. Neither of the others had been Hojo projects. I can figure this out…

"What's _Jenova?_" Dr. Caperton, still trying to examine Tessa in the midst of the chaos, looked at her, but didn't wait for an answer. "I need this blanket." He looked at Vanessa-7. "Help me, please." She nodded her head vigorously.

Tessa laughed slightly. "Dear Dr. Caperton. Thank you for coming." She put her hand on his cheek for a moment before unwinding the soggy blanket from around her. "Believe me—you _don't_ want the answer to _that_ question."

"Hmph… Well, just wait till you get my bill—_there'll _be something you _really_ don't want." The tension partially broke with general laughter. Dr. Caperton glanced again at Vanessa-7. "Help me put this thing under her, then raise a tent." He returned his attention to Tessa. "Lie back and lift your knees. I need to examine you."

Across the joined heads, Reno and Rude looked at each other. Reno smiled, and his fingers itched (along with various other portions of his anatomy)—a _female Sephiroth,_ who had no preconceived notions about _him_. The idea had such _interesting_ possibilities…

Rude delivered an elbow to Reno's ribs. "Don't get any ideas… _the General's sister,_ man!"

"A little late for that, yo," Reno smirked.

ccccccccccccccccc

"Quit babbling and make sense _this instant_!" the General barked.

The ex-Soldier sighed. "Temper, temper. I believe it was our teacher who said, 'fight like fire, think like ice.'?"

Sephiroth closed his eyes. Damn it. For once Genesis was right—he needed to calm down if he wanted to win. He took a deep breath, felt his shoulders relax, and opened his eyes again. "I believe she also said that you were the biggest loudmouth on Gaia?"

"Hah!" Rhapsodos laughed a moment. "While I find reminiscing about the past amusing, I'd prefer to do it with Angy." Suddenly a long, black wing erupted from Rhapsodos' shoulder, and he launched himself with a speed faster than Sephiroth had ever seen him use. Sephiroth blocked a slash to his clavicle, left hand grasping the handle of his Masamune, the right palm supporting the blade. He braced his feet against Rhapsodos' forward motion. "You know how this will end."

"Ordinarily, I would overpower you, but this time… We'll be in a thousand-day showdown," Sephiroth muttered, teeth gritted.

"Wrong. This time, _I will be the hero!"_ Rhapsodos shouted as he overpowered Sephiroth's guard.

Rhapsodos' rapier grazed Sephiroth's cheek and sliced through the tip of his ear. The Soldier General ducked and dove out of the way as Rhapsodos' attack veered for his head. Sephiroth pivoted on a hand and landed on his feet facing the traitor. Rhapsodos smirked and raised his rapier. "What's wrong? Weren't you expecting that?"

"Shut up," Sephiroth spat as he wiped the blood from his cheek and ear.

Rhapsodos placed two fingers along his sword and ran them along its length. The rapier lit with magical energy. He swung for Sephiroth's ribs. The Masamune met Rhapsodos' rapier in another clash, and sparks flew from the two enhanced blades. Sephiroth took a half-step forward attempting to gain ground, but Rhapsodos had other ideas. He summoned fire to his left hand and shoved the ball into Sephiroth's body. Sephiroth shook his head slightly—why hadn't he seen that move? Genesis had attempted the same fireball earlier when Sephiroth had crushed that hand—it should have been still too tender for such a maneuver! Sephiroth staggered and barely blocked an upwards slash from the ex-Soldier.

"Getting a little _slow_, are we?" Rhapsodos taunted.

"Maybe you're getting a little over-confident," Sephiroth replied as the air throbbed with the build-up of electrical charge, but the General sent an only partially formed wave of electricity at his former friend.

The traitor dodged out of the way with a flap of his wing. He sped towards Sephiroth and slashed again for his old friend's ribs. The General passed the strike then twisted his wrist for a slice to the ex-Soldier's temple. Rhapsodos leaned out of the way then brought his sword hurling to Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth blocked the strike with his free right arm, but the force sent him toward the ground, his arm bleeding. Rhapsodos fired Homing Fire3 after him, and Sephiroth slammed into the ground on his back, a magical fireball. Masamune tumbled from his fingers.

"You should listen to me," Rhapsodos raised an eyebrow, shook his head, then raised his hand above his head—palm up, claw-like fingers splayed--and disbursed spirit energy. "FORSAKE, BENEVOLENCE OF THE GODDESS!" A large white circle, similar to a summoning portal, webbed out from underneath Sephiroth's burning body. "Farewell, my friend," he muttered as a massive white light erupted upwards from the circle and replaced the flames.

Rhapsodos stood near the light column and studied the Soldier through the shimmering curtain. Stepping into the circle, he placed one gloved hand on his former friend's neck. There was no pulse, no sign of breathing.

Three friends go into battle  
One is captured,  
One flies away,  
The one that is left becomes a hero._  
Loveless_, Act IV

"Finally, _I _am the hero." Rhapsodos picked up the Masamune and laid it on Sephiroth's body with the guard at Sephiroth's chest. He placed each of Sephiroth's hands on the hilt and recited:

My soul, corrupted by vengeance  
Hath endured torment,  
To find the end of the journey  
In my own salvation  
And your eternal slumber._  
Loveless_, Act IV

"A true adversary to the end. You deserve a proper burial." Rhapsodos muttered and closed the jade green, cat-slit, lifeless eyes. From across the field of battle, he heard the screams of Sephiroth's wife, "NNNNNNOOOOOOO!" He imagined the collective gasp running through Soldier, indeed all of Shinra. He smiled. Nothing—no one—could stop him now.

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NO! This can't be happening! Tessa's mind screamed in denial. She twisted on the ground and pulled away from Vanessa-7 and Dr. Caperton, unaware that the screams in her mind were very real. Get to him! Now!! MOVE!! She grabbed Reno's EMR, managed to stand, and took two steps before her unused legs crumbled her to her knees. "Sephiroth! Sephiroth!! SEPHIROTH!! NNNNNNOOOOOOO!!"

Suddenly Vincent's face filled her vision. His red eyes swirled with the dangerous yellow that indicated that Chaos was about to emerge. He grabbed her wrists in his hand and claws. "…Stop… You have to stay here… for the baby…"

Tessa jerked and pulled her arms in his grip, but nothing could move Vincent. "LET ME GO TO HIM!" At Vincent's glare, Tessa wanted to howl in pain, but instead she took several deep breaths. "If I can get there… I can save him."

"Tessa… _He is_ _already gone…He is no longer in my mind…"_

"NO!" Tessa shook her head in denial, but she could read the certainty in Vincent's swirling eyes. She felt her strength drain away, and she slumped further onto the ground. "No…"

Dr. Caperton leaned over Tessa. He didn't like her condition at all. "Dr. Romera, you are in labor. _Extremely premature labor_." He turned to Tseng. "Commander, her water has broken. We have to get her to a hospital, _now!_"

At Sephiroth's death, every watching Turk had gasped, Tseng included. The Turks, like all of Soldier, had believed the Soldier General to be unbeatable, perhaps even immortal… Vincent knew the truth of that. Now he had to keep his promise to his son: protect his daughter-in-law and grandchild. Genesis Rhapsodos was coming for them next. Coming now…

Tseng shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. There was only one person who might be available to help—assuming they survived the next few minutes. He tapped his communicator three times. "Mr. President. Are you there?"

Ccccccccccccccc

Genesis Rhapsodos was enjoying every step—indeed every second—of his triumphant progress across the battlefield. _This time he was the hero._ The world was his for the taking: no more Sephiroth, much less Londo Shinra, to stand in his way. Everywhere around him, the fighting continued. With Sephiroth gone, however, none of that mattered. Rhapsodos was about to gain the prize: the pregnant woman surrounded by Turks and her invaluable, living Jenova tissue. Hollander had been going to take the tissue by C-section tomorrow. Well, that would have to be put that off for a day—Rhapsodos wanted the tissue source alive—but more GA#20 would solve that. Then he could have the tissue—and Sephiroth's mako-enhanced woman as well. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his last few Jenova-laden, clone hairs, wound them, then dropped them glittering into his mouth. That was a treat he would have to get more of, soon.

Genesis didn't know what had become of Argento, but if she had captured the Sephiroth clone, that would complete his triumph. Moreover, if he understood Argento's cycles correctly, there was likely more than one pregnant woman in New Banora. He would need Jenova tissue to stabilize his new offspring. Argento wouldn't like it, but she and Sephiroth's woman, even possibly the Sephiroth clone (wouldn't that be an interesting combination?!), not to mention any number of the female clones—possibly even some of the female Turks (hm?)—could be mako-enhanced, could bear his new armies, all side by side by side, in tubes. That was the one thing that Hollander's and Hojo's experiments had proven. _Physically stable_ super-Soldiers had to be begun the old-fashioned way, via intercourse, and brought to term in their mothers' bodies, in order to be stable. Genesis was looking forward to every second of his part in that process as well. What a fool Sephiroth had been! Londo Shinra had offered him armies made up of his own offspring from mako-enhanced mothers. Genesis Rhapsodos would now do exactly that...


	24. Conflict VI

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N--Angeal Valentine wished everyone to know that it was _her_ idea to kill Sephiroth last week—it wasn't mine! I do apologize for posting this so late, however. I was still revising it two days later than normal!**

Cloud glared up at Hewley—Hewley's sword was still pressed to Cloud's chin—then beyond Hewley, Cloud spotted Zack, the Buster Sword still in Zack's hand. If he could just get to it, then he could at least fight back! Cloud looked at Hewley—he didn't believe the man intended to kill him, at least not yet. While slowly straightening on his knees, Cloud moved his hands behind his back, let the sword rise to stay near his throat, and kept eye contact with Hewley.

"Why are you fighting? What are you protecting?" Hewley asked the Third Class.

"I am fighting—to protect Zack! Fire2!" Flames erupted from a green materia orb. With his rising motion, Cloud had kept Hewley's attention away from his hands while Cloud had pulled the materia from a back pocket.

Hewley put a hand by his face to protect it, stepped back, and waited for the fire to die down. _What?!_ The Third Class wasn't where he had been moments before. Precog! The clone spun as the Buster Sword came toward him. He put up his claymore and blocked the attack.

"Do you _really_ intend to fight me _with that?_" Hewley asked as he sidestepped.

Cloud lost his balance, stumbled, recovered, and pointed the sword at Hewley. "I do!"

Hewley shrugged and waited as Cloud charged again. He sidestepped yet again and slashed Cloud's back. Cloud howled in pain and staggered to the ground. "You shouldn't use something you're not ready for." Hewley kicked the fallen Third Class and broke several of his ribs. Cloud glared at the former Soldier and clenched his hands about the Buster Sword's hilt. Stand up! Keep going!

ccccccccccccccccc

Rufus Shinra opened his PHS. He thought he'd felt it vibrate. "Oh. Tseng." He pushed the screen button for the Turk commander. "Shinra here." Rufus always liked announcing himself in that fashion—as if all the power on Gaia were right there at the end of the line. Kamui shook her head. Pompous ass. Rufus Shinra had grudgingly pulled Argento's sword out of Kamui's abdomen and loaned her a mastered cure materia. Kamui smirked at the memory. She just bet that Shinra's president, while he might _own_ _all_ the materia in the world, couldn't work more than the most elementary of spells with it, if that. Argento the Silver, on the other hand, was clearly dying… Kamui didn't like Argento dying, but they'd only fight again, and who knew who would be the victor…

"Mr. President, Sir! Are you anywhere near the RV's? Dr. Romera is in labor, and Dr. Caperton says she has to be transported to a hospital _immediately_."

Rufus glanced at his bodyguard. Kamui wasn't doing well, but they were currently unengaged. "We can handle it."

"Mr. President, is _Verdot's daughter_ with you?"

Rufus, annoyed, looked at his bodyguard. "Yes—much to my regret!"

"Please, have her call her father! He hasn't been able to reach her and is very concerned."

Rufus turned to the silver-haired girl, "Hey, call your father! He's worried." Rufus paused then laughed. "Tseng, please assure Verdot that his daughter is alive. He _will_ have to buy her a new phone, however, after she gets done killing hers." Rufus smirked. "She let her battery run out! Idiot!"

cccccccccccccccc

Sephiroth slowly opened his eyes and looked about—blackness. _Damn_. He'd always suspected it—that when he died, the Lifestream would reject him. There was nothing—just a floating-in-the-dark sensation. _Tessa, my love._ I'm sorry. Genesis _(damn you!)_ will _rip_ the baby out of you—_just to keep himself alive!_ Sephiroth's stomach clenched at the thought. I couldn't protect you or give us "normal" lives. _Vincent!_ Sephiroth tried reaching out to his father. _You've got to protect her!_ Damn. There was nothing there. No response. No mind for his mind to hold to. He closed his eyes. Tessa, I had just found you…

Anger began to consume Sephiroth—anger at Genesis and at himself. If he had never met Tessa, never wanted children, would any of this have happened? Yes, he had to concede. Genesis would still have attacked Shinra, somehow, someway. Sephiroth nodded with the certainty of that realization. Next, however, came despair. Sephiroth had known despair before, but he knew now there was not even the _possibility_ of death to ease the pain—death eased nothing… Eternity and madness loomed before him… There was no hope…

ccccccccccccccc

_Zack… Major Niven… the General… everyone's counting on me! _Cloud pushed himself to his knees.

"It seems Zack didn't do a good job of teaching _you_ when to stay down," Hewley kicked Cloud in the ribs again.

Cloud grunted and pressed his arm to his chest. His broken ribs hurt, but the pain receded when he thought about letting everyone down. He could feel a wave of energy—the tingle that only came when he burned mako. Cloud grasped the Buster Sword tightly in both hands and stood up. "No… _he didn't!_" The young Soldier charged and knocked aside Hewley's hastily raised claymore. _Jump!_ Cloud leapt into the air and stabbed the clone, a red energy trail following him. He slashed his stab sideways. The huge Buster Sword cut Hewley nearly in two, ripped his internal organs, and fractured Hewley's bones! Blood and tissue fanned out in a wide, thick arc. The remaining halves of Hewley fell to the ground in bloody heaps, followed closely by a bloodstained Cloud. Cloud panted and clutched his chest for a moment before remembering, "Zack!" Dragging the Buster Sword behind him, Cloud ran. "ZACK!"

Cccccccccccccccc

_What was that?!_ Sephiroth opened his eyes and turned his head. Had that been a sound? A voice? There was no light, but there had been a _sound._ He was sure of it. He rotated into what felt like an "upright" position and waited for the sound to come again… "Who's there?!"

"You're awake! Welcome!" A woman's voice said the words with a smile. Suddenly, a face shimmered and sparkled before Sephiroth's eyes—a woman's face, limned in light, shaped like his own. Long brown hair tumbled in a ponytail from a thick gathering at the top of her head. Sparks, like fireflies, danced around her and dripped from her hair. Startled, Sephiroth recognized her though he'd only seen one picture of her—Lucrecia Crescent! His mother! As Sephiroth gazed at her, a shimmering light that emanated from her pushed away the darkness, and the rest of her body appeared.

"Mother?!" Sephiroth reached a hand toward the woman, and only then realized that his hand also sparkled. She looked at his hand, smiled, and her face brightened even more. Lucrecia placed her own hand in his. Sephiroth looked at her hand; startled, he looked back at her face. Her hand was translucent within his solid one; it felt more like a breath of wind than the touch of a hand. "Mother… Is it really you? Or am I going mad? Can I finally use that word? _Mother?!_"

Lucrecia nodded and smiled. "Yes, I'm you're mother, and no, you're not insane… Rather, you have crossed the boundary between life and death." Lucrecia looked away from him and beckoned with her other hand. A tiny hand, just as translucent and luminous as Lucrecia's, placed itself in her hand. A tiny baby girl shimmered into view and floated into Lucrecia's arm. The baby looked shyly up at Sephiroth. Lucrecia leaned her head near the baby's ear. "Angel, darling. This is your father."

Sephiroth felt himself shake, and his eyes widened in surprise—_this was the child they had lost!_ In the ambulance between the hospital and Shinra, Tessa and he had given her a name. Tessa would want so badly to see her! Sephiroth reached a hand toward the baby's head. She had his face—Lucrecia's face—his green, mako-enhanced, cat-slit eyes, his arching bangs and silver hair, and—his heart turned over—Tessa's smile. At least he would be able to have a tiny bit of Tessa here with him in the Lifestream! Angel reached both arms toward him, and he reached his too big hands toward the infant. Would she break? She seemed so tiny and fragile… Sephiroth took her cautiously and cradled her in the crook of his elbow. "Angel!" He kissed her silver hair and saw a tear, like a firefly, land on her head. He barely felt Lucrecia's hand brush his bangs back from his face.

"Sephiroth! My son! In this instant you have a choice. Rhapsodos did not completely separate your soul from your body. After all, no one can _actually_ cause the Goddess' benevolence to be forsaken… As much as I might wish for you to stay here with me, if you want to go back across the boundary, _you can._ Remember, you have another child waiting for you there. Don't regret anything about Angel. She is here with me, and she'll always be with her sister, Lucrecia… _Little Lucy_. Thank you for that…"

Sephiroth's head jerked, and he stared at his mother, astonished. "Mother, I could stay here, with you? Truly?" Sephiroth sighed. He knew he couldn't stay—not if he had a choice. "Will you be all right? Will Angel, really?"

"Yes… I rather thought that would be your decision…" Lucrecia pushed back his bangs again, this time moving them behind his ear. Her touch took the pain away from Genesis' sword cut. "Until you come to join us, we'll be waiting... Angel and I, and even to some extent Lucy too, have one foot on each side of the boundary. Because of that, the Lifestream lets us go and do rather remarkable things. And therefore, just remember, _you_ are never truly alone. Angel and I will always be with you, and with Lucy, Tessa… even…" Her voice trailed off and a look of sorrow passed over her features.

"Vincent." Sephiroth said the name quietly, then he felt a soft tug on his head. Angel had grabbed a lock of his hair and was pulling it toward her tiny mouth. Both Sephiroth and Lucrecia laughed and smiled at each other.

"Yes."

"Is there anything you want me to tell him?" Sephiroth placed another kiss on Angel's head then handed her back to Lucrecia, his hand lingering on the baby. Angel grasped his finger in a grip that was strong despite her translucency and tiny size. That grip brought a smile to Sephiroth's face.

Lucrecia smiled gently at the scene but shook her head. "No, it would tear him to pieces…" Lucrecia looked directly at her son. "There is something important I need you to do, however." Puzzled Sephiroth looked back at her. "When this is over, you and he must look for the Fountain of Chaos. It _may_ help him understand… To find it, you and Tessa will need the information in my research notes. They're buried deep in the Shinra computer systems. The password is 'meddlesome Turk'…" She looked back at the infant cradled in her arm. "It's time for your father to go, Angel. He's got to go home to your sister and mother, sweetheart."

Lucrecia raised her eyes again to her son's; the look on her face was suddenly sad. "How do you say 'good-bye' to the son you've just met?" Tears, streams of light, ran down her face. "Hojo wouldn't even let me see you… hold you... not once…" With her empty hand she touched his cheek. "Remember, you're never alone. Until it is truly your time to come here, you have me—us—watching over you."

"And if you're watching over me, is there some way I can contact you?" It seemed to Sephiroth that there ought to be a way, especially if she straddled the "boundary."

Lucrecia nodded. "In dreams."

Sephiroth gasped. The nightmare of Lucy grown into Jenova, attacking him, and then being stopped by two infant faces had resurfaced in his mind. Sephiroth took Lucrecia's hand from his face and kissed her fingers—Angel still held a finger of his other hand.

Lucrecia looked up over Sephiroth's shoulder. "Lucy, come here, sweetheart. You can show your father the way home."

Sephiroth followed her gaze to see another infant materialize. This one was solid, like him. The baby looked him in the eye and then smiled tentatively. Lucy. His daughter, Lucrecia Valentine.

"Mother. Thank you." Sephiroth watched them fade. "I love you!" He almost hadn't said it! Sparks danced away in swirls then winked out, and the blackness returned. "Good-bye..." He turned toward Lucy. She smiled again then seemed to back away from him. He took two steps toward her then light fanned out from behind her blocking even the baby from his view.

ccccccccccccccc

Niven knelt beside Zack and pulled an empty syringe of Antidote out of Zack's arm. "You should be fine now, Zack."

"How'd he do?" Zack couldn't see Cloud and Hewley very well. Niven was in the way.

Niven looked over his shoulder at the fight just ending across the field. "Considering he used a sword he's never touched before, not bad." Niven glanced at Zack. "I owe you an apology. I sent him over here to help you. I _thought_ he'd give you an antidote, then I remembered he's not covering bio spells and poisons for another two weeks."

"It's okay. I knew as soon as I told him _not_ to go after Angeal he would. As soon as I saw the clone use a snake-disarm, I knew Cloud would be all right, though Cloud should have been able to counter it more quickly."

"Sneaky way to train a Third Class. Did _you_ teach him that jump-stab-slice combo?"

"Nope. Must have come up with that one on his own."

Niven looked more closely at Zack. "You've got to get up, you know. With the General gone, you're in command. _You'll_ have to stop Genesis."

Zack closed his eyes hard in pain. Seph gone. Not possible. "I know. Have Malik join us. Then we'll go after Genesis." Niven nodded, retrieved his sword, and moved away. Was that really why, Angeal? Because Genesis was your brother, not just your oldest, best friend? How was that possible? And how was it possible that Seph could be gone? Put sorrow aside; Zack knew how to do that, or at least he'd thought he had, until he'd seen Angeal again. Push grief away… _Seph!_… Precog—deal with the living now—Cloud was coming. Zack turned his attention to his young friend, "Cloud, I-"

"You're okay!" Cloud smiled then added, "Sir." Suddenly Cloud began coughing violently and fell to the ground. Blood! Damn, his ribs…

"Cloud!" Zack sat up, plunged his hand into a pocket, and retrieved a mastered cure materia. "Cure3." Zack watched as Cloud's coughing slowed and his breathing eased. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm better now," he nodded. "What about you?"

Zack turned his head and looked at the disappearing form of the Hewley clone. "Angeal… I'm sorry." One of the little green sparks that had been something like Angeal Hewley approached and hovered before Zack's face, then disappeared into the sky. Zack looked over at Genesis' circle. At least _Seph's_ body wasn't disappearing just yet, but Zack could see Genesis walking away. About a hundred feet beyond Genesis were Vincent Valentine, and, Zack's heart found its way into his throat, Tessa…

Cccccccccccccc

Sephiroth's eyes snapped open, and his lungs exploded for air. Alive! He panted for a moment, sucked in more air, and regained his bearings. That was right. _Genesis had killed him!_ Genesis had used a spell he hadn't recognized! _No one can actually cause the Goddess' benevolence to be forsaken_. For an instant, his mother's voice rang across his mind. Sephiroth staggered to his feet, and the Masamune thudded to the ground as he glared at Rhapsodos' form. Genesis was moving toward Tessa and Vincent! Sephiroth clenched his right hand and focused all his spirit energy into his fist. "I'm not dead yet, you piece of shit!"

Sephiroth charged and punched his wing hard through the leather of his shredded coat as Genesis turned. "SUPER NOVA!" Sephiroth's right hand burst into brilliant white light. The ex-Soldier's eyes grew wide as Sephiroth slammed his fist into Genesis' stomach and grasped Genesis' coat collar with his left. Have to get away from everyone! Sephiroth wasn't sure his wing would lift them both, so he launched them with a jump instead, then with a down stroke of the wing, propelled them higher into the air. The force of Super Nova slammed into Genesis, and ripped away first pinpricks, then bits, and finally chunks, of Rhapsodos' body. As the pieces exploded, beams of white light emerged where the bits had been. Genesis struggled, punching and kicking at the end of Sephiroth's arm. When the burning traitor attempted to fly off his fist, Sephiroth moved his left hand from Genesis' collar and reached for Genesis' black wing. Wrapping his arm around the wing's muscles and holding it tightly, Sephiroth wrenched the wing from Genesis' shoulder and flung the appendage away. Feathers scattered in a wide arc. Re-grasping Genesis' coat, Sephiroth started to remove his hand from Genesis' abdomen in preparation for letting his former friend fall to the distant ground.

Rhapsodos, still alive, glared at the General with hatred, mere inches from Sephiroth's face:

If this world seeks my destruction...  
... It goes with M_e  
Loveless_, Act V

Genesis' light-veined hands rose to Sephiroth's throat in a last attempt to strangle his former friend. His fingers, however, fell from his hands, and Sephiroth's neck, one-by-one—_except_ for one. Genesis stuck his final finger—one wrapped with a silver hair—in his mouth before falling away from Sephiroth toward the ground.

Sephiroth let the body plummet. He shook his head and let the light about his hand fade. For a moment Sephiroth hovered in the air staring at the clouds. _Jealousy._ Genesis had been jealous of Sephiroth's successes and had turned Angeal against him—so much waste. Sephiroth flew to the ground and retracted his wing as he touched down. For now he had to get to, "TESSA!" He ran to the small group huddled on the ground.

"Sephiroth, my love, I thought you were dead." Tessa was lying on her left side on the ground. Behind her, Dr. Caperton was opening a small medical bag and calling for anyone who had water to bring it to him. Around them, the individual battles seemed to be ending.

"I was. I'll have to tell you about it." Sephiroth gathered her in his arms and cradled her as he had Angel in the Lifestream. "Are you alright? How's Lucy?"

Tessa looked at him slightly puzzled. Was he having her dreams too? That the babies had been twin girls? "Dr. Caperton says I'm in labor. That he has to get me to the hospital immediately." Tears came to her eyes. "Sephiroth! It's too early for the baby to be born!"

Sephiroth looked up at Dr. Caperton, who nodded. "It _is_ too early, but Dr. Romera's water has broken. She's having contractions about eight minutes apart, and she may be bleeding internally. If we don't get her to a hospital very shortly, we may well see _history repeat itself_. There's supposed to be an RV on its way to take us to the hospital."

**A/N--This week was my final "Conflict" chapter, but I have too many loose ends for this to be the end of the story. For example, I've only just figured out what is going to happen in Wutai and Gongaga, much less started writing it! Unfortunately, school has started for Angeal Valentine, and I must return to my "busy mom" schedule. I may not be able to continue my once-a-week posting commitment, so please bear with me. I'll try to keep going!**


	25. Picking up the Pieces

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Why is it that just when I think I have the end in sight, the plot bunnies return? Suddenly every spare minute I have (well nearly) is being spent writing new text! I guess, to quote AV, "they're awesome like that!"**

(2 am, Mideel; midnight, Midgar; 8 pm, Gongaga; 4 pm, Wutai)

"SEPH!"

Sephiroth was alive! While moving to intercept Rhapsodos, Zack had suddenly paused to watch his friend—returned from death!—carry Genesis into the air and explode the former Soldier into bits! Suddenly despair had turned to triumph! Zack and every other Soldier had stopped amazed to see the exploding lights above them. Now Zack ran again, trailed by other Soldiers, this time to see for themselves that Sephiroth was truly alive…

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Tseng paused and bent over with his hands on his knees. He was emotionally as well as physically drained—he'd lost too many Turks, too many friends—and now Sephiroth had died and come back from the dead?! Well, who else could have, Tseng supposed? He straightened, only to be nearly tackled by Elena. Tseng gathered her close, kissed the top of her head, then turned while keeping an arm around the girl, and began giving orders to his remaining Turks about entering the underground facility. Suddenly, Tseng felt his communicator vibrate about his ear. "Tseng."

"And just _where_ do you want this _damn thing?_ And do you know this bodyguard of yours has _no_ sense of _direction?!_" It was the president. In the background Tseng could hear outraged protests from Verdot's daughter. Well, at least she was alive. Verdot would be relieved.

"Lock on to my signal and bring it here—good luck finding your way through the trees."

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"Seph! _How?"_ Zack dropped to his knees across Tessa from his commander. He'd been about to dog-pile Sephiroth then decided landing on the pregnant woman too might not be a good thing. "You were dead! I saw Genesis' spell. You didn't move. _How?!_"

"Zack." Sephiroth smiled slightly at his second. Zack didn't seem to be aware of the tears streaming down his face. "I always expected that the Lifestream would reject me—that I'd be left in darkness forever—but I learned a few things just now. Someone's watching over us from the other side of the boundary." Sephiroth reached a hand to wipe the tears from Zack's face; it wouldn't do for his second to be seen like that by the Turks! Tessa reached for Sephiroth's other hand that was holding her tight and smiled despite the discomfort in her abdomen.

"What?! You came back because someone was watching out for you? _Are you kidding me?"_

Sephiroth smiled slightly again. If he hadn't "lived" it himself, he supposed he wouldn't have believed any of that either. Suddenly Niven and Malik knelt next to Zack and looked intently at their commander. Cloud and several other Soldiers stood just beyond the First Classes. Every one of his troops looked exhausted and all had been injured to varying degrees. Materia was appearing in hands, and the sounds of "Cure2" and even "Cure3" surrounded them. Mastered materia orbs were then passed to the Turk medic and to Dr. Caperton for further healing work.

Zack too had watched the healing sessions and had noted several absences from their ranks. Damn. He turned his attention to Tessa. "Tess? You okay?"

"Zack." Tessa looked sideways at him from where her head lay against Sephiroth's chest. "The baby is coming—it's way too early, Zack. You'll be an uncle… soon…" Her voice faded, and she closed her eyes. Sleeping in Sephiroth's arms seemed like a very good idea at the moment. No. Zack shook his head. The baby was early—it could be a tragedy for all of them…

Sephiroth pushed a few tendrils of Tessa's hair back from her face. "Zack, I'm leaving you in charge here with Alex." Zack's eyes flicked to Niven then back in surprise. Seph rarely called Niven, 'Alex'—he must really be tired. And why not? Seph had barely slept since Tessa had entered the tube, then he'd died and come back to life! That would wear anyone out, Zack supposed. "I want you to support the Turks in their clean-up. I _know_ Genesis wasn't alone in running this place. Find who was helping him. I'm sure Tseng will have questions for them. Also, I want anything that might be left of Genesis' body _burned to ash,_ ASAP, even if the Lifestream _is_ taking it. I want no rescues, or miraculous recoveries, or future repeats of anything that happened here. Understood?" Zack and Niven nodded their agreement. "Malik, I want to take Tessa to the hospital on Mideel Base. I won't trust her to the hospital in the city, not with Heidegger's people still in charge of security there—not if the baby can possibly be born on base. To that end, I want _you_ driving the RV that'll be coming soon. That way we can immediately get through gate security, and we won't be taking any wrong turns. Call the base hospital and let them know we're coming. After I get her to the hospital, I'll be back to help with clean-up." Pausing, Sephiroth considered. He didn't want to cause Zack pain, but he had to know. "What became of the Hewley clone?"

When Zack didn't answer, Niven, with a glance at Zack, answered instead. "_Strife_ killed it, sir. It's dead _and_ gone."

Sephiroth's eyebrows went up. "Hm. All right." He paused, then called, "Strife! You'll come with us to the hospital. Help me keep watch over the most valuable woman in the world. Certainly the most expensive baby in the world after this past week… What of the airship that brought us here? Highwind, I think the pilot's name was…"

After seeing the startled expression on Cloud's face, Zack looked back at his commander and answered, "Highwind insisted he had to put down for repairs and refueling immediately and headed back to the base. I doubt he can be convinced to take off again for at least a day or so… Seems he came _from_ _Rocket Town_ to meet us in Junon before he brought us here to Mideel. I think he feels put upon—Mr. Tuesti had just cut his budget."

"Had he?! Well, I think Tessa and I can find it in our budgets to fund Mr. Highwind's _very fast_ airship projects. Don't you, dear?" Sephiroth nudged Tessa. When she didn't respond, he looked to find the doctor, worry writ on his face. "Caperton, what's wrong with her?!"

"Hm?" The doctor looked up from the Turk he was attending to briefly inspect Tessa. "Dr. Romera's just asleep for the moment. If she can relax after what she's been through, then that should help with what's coming."

"And what is coming?"

Dr. Caperton shrugged. "Literally, the baby. If labor continues, then she'll be able to deliver the baby vaginally. Sometimes, however, labor contractions stop. Either way, with her membranes broken, the baby will _have_ to come out—ready or not. If labor stops, I'll have to perform a C-section. Either way, the baby, and you, will have to fight for its life at this early stage of development. I'd like to put off labor for a couple of days at least, if at all possible. We can discuss it further on the way to the hospital."

"If labor stops…" Sephiroth considered. Perhaps labor stopping wouldn't be such a bad thing…

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Suddenly, the Shinra personnel heard a roaring engine and crashing trees. Looking up, the group saw a very dented RV careening toward them. Inside could be made out two people arguing over the steering wheel. Stopping, the two "drivers" tumbled out the door.

"That is the last time I _ever_ take _directions_ from _you!_" Rufus Shinra shouted at a silver-haired woman behind him.

"If you had listened to _me_, we would have already _been here!"_ Kamui shouted right back.

"How could you possibly see where you were going with your _eye still swollen?"_

From his position on the ground, Sephiroth looked up. "Who the hell is that with Rufus?!"

Tessa stirred at the noise and the muscles bunching in her husband's legs beneath her. "Hm?" Opening her eyes she realized that the young woman with Rufus Shinra had to be Verdot's missing daughter—and Sephiroth's clone. "Oh." Looking up at Sephiroth, she touched his cheek and caught his eye. "Ride's here. Shall we go?"

Cccccccccccccccc

Vincent and Verdot had moved away from the Soldiers gathering around Sephiroth. Instead they had joined the Turks where the RV had come to rest. Verdot sighed with relief, gathered his daughter into his arms, moved her around the RV out of Sephiroth's direct line of sight, and inspected her for injuries. Unfortunately, she looked terrible. Kamui was bruised, covered in blood (much of it her own, he noted), her clothes were ripped showing both upper arms (along with her tattoo, "KM-1"), a long diagonal line of skin from her left collar bone to her right hip, and much of the skin of her abdomen. Sweet Shiva, she had to have nearly been killed! Even her hair was different. It was now short and uneven! Rufus Shinra looked unscathed by comparison—though his jaw was swollen. "Kamui, are you all right?"

"Boss! Do you know what that _shit-for-brains_ asked me to do?" Kamui flung an arm in Rufus Shinra's general direction without answering her father's question.

Verdot shook his head. He was rather afraid to ask. "Uh. No…" He really wished she wouldn't throw her arm around like that; her body was drawing the attention of most of the men present!

"He asked me on a _date!"_

Verdot felt his face go pale, and he glanced at Vincent. "_Really?_ Is he feeling all right? Did you punch him in the head? What did you tell him?"

"Um. Well, uh… Yeah, I did punch him in the jaw, but I _think_ he's okay… And I kind of said 'yes.'"

Verdot felt his heart stutter. "Boggles the mind… In _so_ many ways…" Around him, Verdot noted the startled expressions of nearby Soldiers and Turks. Yes, she was going to have to deal with that reaction; Kamui's resemblance to Sephiroth was now plain for everyone to see, though she hadn't seen the General herself yet (apparently being blind in one eye and having the other eye swollen nearly shut had advantages). Worse, that lecherous Reno was practically drooling on himself _and_ coming their way!

"_I_ am Reno Sinclair, and may I have the honor of knowing _your_ name?" Reno reached for Kamui's hand. Before he could grasp it, however, Rufus Shinra had interposed his body between the pair.

"Back off, Reno!"

Reno caught the growl that had started in his throat. "Come on, Mr. President, I just wanted to make the acquaintance of the lovely young lady." He hadn't expected interference, especially not interference of a _presidential_ nature. Reno suddenly found his chin atop Rufus' shotgun.

"I said 'back off'! The _lady's _coming with me." Rufus wasn't about to repeat his "since my company _made_ _General Sephiroth,_ we must have _made_ you as well; _therefore,_ _you_ _belong_ _to me!"_ fiasco speech, but _no one _got between a Shinra and his possessions, least of all a sleazy Turk… Without taking his eyes off Reno, Rufus ordered, "Kamui, you're still my bodyguard. Let's go."

Kamui frowned. She had no idea what was going on, but… "Uh, yeah. Whatever…" Rufus lowered his shotgun then wrapped a Turk night suit from the RV supplies across her body. Possessively. His.

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Rearranging the RV benches into a bed for Tessa took Zack just a few minutes. At the same time Turks and Soldiers unloaded supplies of ammunition and materia off the RV. Once readied, Sephiroth gently carried his wife into the vehicle, surveyed its inside, and put Tessa on the bed. Tessa smiled. Sephiroth was so possessive. She was rather getting to like having him carry her around. Dr. Caperton followed them onto the RV.

"Is there anything else you need, Dr. Caperton? Though, after all we've been through, do you mind if I call you, 'Leonard'?" Tessa suddenly wanted things to be "simple."

The doctor laughed slightly. "Not at all. May I call you, 'Tessa'?" Caperton smiled at Tessa's nod, then cautioned. "Tessa… you may feel the urge to push, but resist it for now—it's _far_ too early for that. Just lie on your left side and sip water. It should help slow labor."

Sephiroth leaned his head toward the door. "STRIFE! What are you waiting for?! Get in here! Malik, you too!" Cloud, looking shell-shocked, ran onto the RV and headed for the back. Malik looked up from the map he had been drawing for Niven and Zack. There were several other Soldiers with the group who were assigned to Mideel Base, but only he was native to the island _and_ familiar with the surrounding area. The base was about sixty miles west of their current location. Malik added a few last flourishes to the paper, jabbed it at Niven, then jumped to the RV.

Tseng suddenly appeared at the RV door. "General, you'd better take _this_ with you. The brig at the base is probably the safest place on the island for _this_ prisoner." Tseng waved a hand, and Reno and Rude appeared carrying a long silver bag, while a strawberry-blond woman in tee-shirt and jeans hovered nearby.

"Who is it?" Sephiroth questioned.

Clearly relishing the moment, every Turk smirked. "Hol-lan-der!" The man had been a fugitive for years.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, "You're kidding!"

Reno and Rude dumped Hollander headfirst onto the floor at the back of the RV. "Kid," Reno addressed Cloud. "I leave _you_ in charge of keeping the prisoner quiet… I suggest the use of this." He handed the Third Class his EMR. "Enjoy!"

Ccccccccccccccc

_And are _you_ all right?_ Vincent questioned his son. He'd known instantly when Sephiroth had returned to life.

_Yes. Some remarkable things happened to me while I was gone… Did you know someone is watching over us?_

_What?! Who?_

Sephiroth changed the subject, or thought he had. _Have you ever heard of the 'Fountain of Chaos?' _Sephiroth caught Vincent's start.

_Where could you have possibly heard that _phrase?!_ It's from ancient Cetra poetry that… _she_… translated. In fact…you almost certainly _had_ to have learned it… from… _Vincent's mind voice went silent, then Sephiroth felt Vincent's mind pushing for an answer; Sephiroth, however, kept Vincent from that information in his mind. Apparently he'd finally learned the trick of blocking Vincent out.

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Tseng, bone tired, checked and organized his resources, and silently thanked Sephiroth for leaving him the Soldiers to shore up his people. Everyone was about to drop, but this battle was hardly over and couldn't wait much longer to be completed. With a look of misery, poor Elena dropped to the ground—Tseng couldn't blame her one bit, he wanted to do the same. Tseng turned to Rude and his tee-shirt-clad companion. Tseng sincerely hoped they could trust her—Rude clearly did.

Rude took Vanessa-7's hand. "Chief, we need to find Lynette Hiland. While she was the head of the Apple Town group, she's also in charge of New Banora. Not only that, she was Hewley's grandmother and Londo Shinra's first wife."

Rufus, with Kamui trailing behind him, had come up behind Rude during his report and felt his jaw drop. "Father's _first _wife? He was married _before?_ Even before Lazard's mother came along?"

Rude nodded his head slowly. The president shouldn't have found out in this fashion.

"Are you Rufus?" Vanessa-7 tilted her head to the side curiously and stepped toward the president. "She _was _his first wife."

Rufus' eyebrows knit. "Young woman, what do you mean by that?"

Vanessa-7 smiled gently. "Please, come over here."

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Zack's eyes scanned the ground for traces of Genesis as Seph had ordered. "He was barely holding together at all. Pieces of him were flying off in every direction… but… I don't see anything anywhere."

"I'll call more of our people over to expand the search area." Alex Niven turned away.

Zack nodded. They had to be sure every bit of Genesis Rhapsodos was gone.

Cccccccccccccccccccc

Vanessa-7 led the Turks to the broken Banora monument and gazed sadly at the ground. "See. Here she is. Lynette Vanessa Hiland… Shinra." Lying in the ground, encased in solid mako, was the body of a white-haired woman. "No Vanessa was allowed to come here." She looked sadly at Rude. "_This_ was the woman who married Londo Shinra, but who wasn't wanted by his family." Vanessa-7 looked back at the body. "I heard that when Banora was bombed, she was badly hurt. Mr. Shinra had her cloned before she died... The woman who's in charge of New Banora and Apple Town is Vanessa-0, my big sister, though she's several years older than me. As I understand it, Mr. Shinra found he couldn't live without Lynette Hiland, so before she died, he had Dr. Hollander make a clone of her and aged her. Vanessa-1 is her secretary at Apple Town. The rest of us Vanessas are lab techs—not really necessary, but available as replacements if anything happens to Vanessa-0…"

Rude wrapped his arm around Vanessa-7. He didn't like that phrase, "not really necessary," coming from her. She just might be necessary for him! "Seven, I'm sorry… What do you want to do when this is over? Do you want to come with me back to Midgar?" Rude cut the bands holding the remains of her pigtails with his prosthetic's knife attachment. He suddenly desired to see her hair loose around her face.

Vanessa-7 ran her fingers through the strands of her hair, turned in Rude's arm, and looked sadly at him. "I'm sorry too, but right now I don't know _who I am_… Then again, I've heard these people call you 'Rude' rather than 'Lowell,' so I don't know who _you_ are either. Let me think about this for a while. Okay?"

"Yeah. That's fair…" Rude found he was disappointed at her decision. Maybe they could yet work something out. "Are you willing to lead us underground?"

Vanessa-7 nodded. "Uh hunh."

"So this woman _really_ _was_ my step-mother?" Rufus Shinra had come forward to look at the body in the ground. "And, I take it, I have a half-sibling?"

Vanessa-7 nodded. "They _had_ a daughter named Gillian Hiland _and_ grandsons. Of all the people in Banora, Gillian Hiland was the only one Dr. Hollander never cloned. I don't think he could bring himself to clone his ex-wife." Vanessa-7's face saddened. "Vanessa-0 wants to meet you; Mr. Shinra, though, would never let her. I never knew why."

"Hm. I think I do. Even after all these years, the existence of a first wife and offspring from that marriage could have created a scandal, _possibly_ even hurt the company's image. Father concocted this elaborate scheme to cover it all up _and_ make use of it." Rufus glanced at Tseng. "I never met my grandfather, Lucius Shinra, but I understand he was a real bastard… I assume all the records of their marriage were probably destroyed decades ago."

"Probably." Tseng nodded. "If you want, I'll see what I can find, but I doubt anything still exists." He glanced at Verdot who nodded in agreement. "After all this time, the only one who might know the truth of this is Hollander. We could possibly find Hewley's genetic code in the Shinra database and compare it to yours and Mr. Shinra's, if you're really curious."

"Not necessary. Knowing how my father operated, I believe this completely." Rufus paused. "What I want right now is to find this 'Vanessa-0'."

Tseng considered his options for a just a second. "Reno, take a 3-man team and an RV and head for Apple Town. We need to cut off that potential line of escape."

"Please," Vanessa-7 had stepped forward again. "I understand that you feel you need to kill the monsters—they're dangerous—but what about the _Banora_ people? Can't you let us go? Once you shut down the fighting part of New Banora, can't we just _live?_"

Tseng glanced at Rufus. He rather hoped the new Shinra president would make a different decision than the one the old president had made. After all, the clones were essentially innocent victims here.

"Are there any options here? Is there a way to destroy those blue monsters and the fighters?"

Vanessa-7 shrugged. "Probably most of the fighting clones were on the surface, and from what I can see, most of them are already dead… I can show you how to put any monsters that are left in New Banora to sleep permanently… The rest of us just want to live…"

Rufus nodded slowly. "If you can show us how to put the monsters to 'sleep,' as you call it, without a fight, then the rest can go free…"

Something like Vanessa-7's old smile crossed her face, and she grasped Rude's hand, "OK!" Rude looked at her hand in his and smiled slightly himself.

Ccccccccccccccccc

Alex Niven and Zack Fair shook their heads at each other. The entire Soldier search team had found no trace of Genesis. His body must have already been absorbed by the Lifestream. Not surprising, given the bits it had been exploded into. Zack turned to his troops. It was time to join the Turks.

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Where Kamui and Argento had fought, a black-clad young man bound in a straight-jacket and wearing a mask over most of his face emerged from the shadows. His cat-slit, ruby eyes examined the barely alive Argento. "Well, Argento the Silver, you had quite a fight. Because of you, we now know what Soldier is capable of. For your contribution to our cause, I won't let you die." He took out a materia orb, "Cure3."

The young man knelt, and two long, robotic wings picked up the woman. "When you wake, you'll report to my brother." His wings set the woman on his shoulder, and one wing rested on the small of her back to steady her. He disappeared into the shadows, and the black of his outfit faded into the dark.

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(4 pm, Wutai; 2 am, Mideel; midnight, Midgar; 8 pm, Gongaga)

Underground at Wutai base—on the other side of the world—Carlos Griegos emerged from the interrogation room. While he'd initially decided that morning to immediately interrogate his prisoners, his second had convinced him to get some sleep. Now he wished Wallace had convinced him to sleep longer. The last few hours Griegos had spent questioning his prisoners had been perfectly wasted, and he felt as though he hadn't slept at all.

Griegos rubbed his face with his hands, arched his creaking back, and sighed. Only two things were clear: first, that their prisoner was _not_ Emperor Godo of Wutai—the man was a body double; and second, that their other prisoner certainly was Princess Yuffie Kisaragi. Godo, according to the double, had departed the palace for parts unknown. The princess, however, had been on her way to assume ceremonial command of Tamblin Fortress; that much Griegos' team had already learned from one of her drivers. They certainly hadn't learned that bit of information from the girl.

Arg! Now what? Griegos turned to his second-in-command, Bill Wallace. "What do _you_ think?" he asked quietly. They'd been playing "good cop/bad cop" for hours with Yuffie Kisaragi. Jens Akita was still inside with her.

Wallace shook his head. "She's had ninja training. That's for sure. Once she realized she was our prisoner, she went completely silent." He paused. "As soon as her father learns she's missing—and that we have her—he'll either be enraged and attack more fiercely, probably on the ground, or perhaps try to buy her freedom. I'm glad we didn't broadcast the news to Wutai, but now we have to report to Midgar. I dread to think…"

Griegos nodded. He dreaded that report as well.

From behind Griegos a voice volunteered, "Let _me_ take a crack at her."

Griegos turned slowly, and raised an eyebrow at the volunteer. "And do what? Use _Turk_ interrogation methods on her, Digital?"

"Yes."

**A/N—Sorry about the lateness of this posting. I thought it was ready Friday morning. I had planned to give it another read when I got home from taekwondo that night then post. Bjanik, however, had other ideas for me—and I wanted to incorporate some of them (more incorporation later too)! As usual, she was right! Thanks, Bjanik!**

**You may have noticed that in this chapter Niven gained a first name he hadn't had before, "Alex." Bjanik has now revised Chapter 3 of **_**Scenic Route**_** so Niven will now always have been "Alex." Something is brewing in Bjanik's brain… Excellent!**


	26. Communication, or Lack Thereof

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Sometimes I just seem to have to have a chapter where the only thing that happens is that the characters talk to each other. This is one of those…**

(2 am, Mideel; midnight, Midgar; 8 pm, Gongaga; 4 pm, Wutai)

Tessa lay on her left side in the RV near Sephiroth, his hand in one of hers, a water bottle with a flexible straw in her other. Dr. Caperton had turned away to check on the man in the flex tube. Several Soldiers and Turks had given up their bottles for her. Strange that Shinra-issued water bottles were different for Turks and Soldiers. Wonder why... The RV lurched and Sephiroth's attention immediately went to the driver. Poor Malik. She didn't know him, but he was trying to drive slowly through the orchard to spare his passengers discomfort and at the same time drive quickly to get them to the hospital. She wondered briefly if it were some kind of ordeal to have your boss watch you drive. "So what's been happening while I've been asleep? From the bit Vincent told me, it seems that the world's in trouble."

"Yes." Sephiroth's attention wavered between his wife and the tracks through the grass the RV had made on its initial trip. Rufus had hit a number of trees in his rush to get to Tessa, and the tracks swerved and veered—oh yes, the two drivers fighting over the steering wheel when the RV pulled up… "Just get us to the road, Malik…" Tessa could tell Sephiroth wished he were driving. Perhaps they should have had Vincent drive. "Genesis was plotting around Gaia to bring down Shinra, it seems. Emperor Godo declared Wutai's independence, attacked Wutai base, and announced that his daughter was engaged to Genesis."

"What?! When was that?!"

"Oh. Four days ago—the day after you went into the tube."

"So don't you need to be going to Wutai?" Tessa was concerned. "Don't get me wrong. I certainly don't want you to leave, but it does seem you're on the wrong side of the world."

"I can't be here long. I have to get to Rocket Town almost immediately to lead the invasion forces. I did receive a message from Griegos in Wutai when we touched down at Mideel Base. A commando raid I ordered has captured Godo and his daughter. I'm sure Carlos wants to broadcast that news to the world, but I want to see Godo for myself before that happens. I'll need some time when we get to the base to communicate with Wutai." Sephiroth paused and smiled slightly. "Somehow I need to be in two places at the same time—with you for the birth and in Wutai leading the army…"

"Well, _I'm_ glad you're here now." Tessa squeezed his fingers. Sephiroth's smile broadened, and he leaned to kiss her. Tessa's mouth opened to his. The kiss was tender and passionate in the same breath. "Hi."

"Hi, yourself." Sephiroth shook his head slightly. "I missed you so much. I'm _so_ glad you're all right."

Tessa smiled, "Me too…" Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm so glad you're alive." Sephiroth and Tessa took a few minutes for themselves. At the rear of the RV, Cloud blushed, looked away, and thought about a girl in Nibelheim. Malik kept his eyes strictly on the tracks and then on the road. Dr. Caperton quadruple checked the man in the bag.

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Leonard Caperton came forward to check on his main patient and sat near the couple. It suddenly hit Tessa that it was rather odd that her OB/GYN was acting as a medic for the Turks in Mideel. "Leonard, how did you come to be here?"

Leonard Caperton started, and his face reddened. "I'm afraid I owe you an apology. From the Turks' investigations, it seems _I _was responsible for your being kidnapped in the first place." Sephiroth looked sharply at the doctor—Tseng hadn't told him this. "My dictation notes from your last examination were intercepted at the hospital by one of Genesis Rhapsodos' minions, a Samantha Silverton. To make up for that, I came along." He paused. There was another reason also. "I also rather expected you to go into labor early. Of the seventeen or so indicator signs for preterm labor, you had roughly half. I felt I _needed _to be here to help you in addition for making up for my failure to protect your records. I suppose I could have gone with the General's forces to Wutai, but the Turks seemed more likely to find you, so I asked for permission to go with Commander Tseng. As I told him, I was a medic in Wutai for two years, and I was able to help his people in that regard as well."

"Wait! What _preterm labor signs?_ Why didn't we discuss this _before_ I got into the tube?" Tessa wished now she'd not rushed so quickly into the tube before hearing this part. Dr. Caperton looked a bit uncomfortable at her question.

"Well, if everything had gone according to plan, I'd have been there waiting for you as you got out of the tube. The results essentially wouldn't have been different…" Dr. Caperton paused to take a deep breath. "You should know that you will be at risk for preterm labor in any future pregnancy. Several risk factors are related: you were carrying twins which caused your uterus to be misshapen and enlarged, and enlargement is a signal for labor to begin; you had vaginal bleeding after twenty weeks of labor; you were under extreme emotional and physical stress; and you underwent abdominal surgery during pregnancy. On top of it all, you probably also became dehydrated in the tube. I imagine you were probably also thrown around in the flex-tube. That would have added stress on your body, possibly equating to domestic violence—another risk factor." At the phrase "vaginal bleeding," Sephiroth's face had become even whiter than usual. At "domestic violence" he looked away from the conversation. He was responsible even for this…

"So for future reference, I need to have quiet, stress-free pregnancies?" Dr. Caperton nodded. "How soon after the baby is born, can I get pregnant again?"

Sephiroth jerked. He wanted more children, true, but he wasn't willing to risk Tessa's health, much less her life, for more children. Besides, he didn't think he could handle another week like this—at least not anytime soon.

"Of course, that _can_ happen again as soon as you start ovulating, but I wouldn't _recommend_ it for a while. Let's just get you through this pregnancy first then give your body a chance to heal… There are a couple of other issues I'd like to address before we get to the hospital, and I'd like a question of my own answered…"

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"Tessa, when we were back in the orchard, the word, 'Jenova,' came up, and you told me I really didn't want to know what it meant. If it relates to your pregnancy, I most certainly _do_ want to know what it is. I assume it relates to the genetic manipulations that were done on the General… Tonight, I saw two winged, flying men trying to kill each other—one of whom is the father of your baby…" Dr. Caperton looked intently at Tessa, demanding an explanation.

"Tessa…" Sephiroth looked intently at his wife trying to warn her off this subject. Did the doctor truly need to know about _Jenova?_

Tessa could see Sephiroth's message in his eyes. "I think we'd better tell him, darling. After all, for all we know, the baby could be _born_ with wings sticking out of its back."

"I suppose _wings_ are no longer a secret…" Sephiroth looked away from his wife, turned his intent stare at the doctor, and decided just _how much_ he should tell the man. "Two thousand years or so ago, an alien from space crashed on Gaia." At Caperton's look of incredulity, Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Let me assure you, it happened… Not long before I was conceived a former head of the Shinra labs discovered the alien still slightly alive. Another Shinra scientist fused the alien's genes into my DNA while I was still a fetus. That's the source of the unusual DNA I know you've discussed with my wife. The alien was called 'Jenova.' That's what Genesis was after—more Jenova tissue. Genesis Rhapsodos was a project Soldier who also underwent Jenova treatments as a fetus, but he was developed in a different program from me by the crazy scientist in that bag back there."

Tessa interrupted. "Oh, so that's who Hollander is! Do I have questions for him!"

Sephiroth shook his head. "I wouldn't suggest it, my love." He looked back at the still incredulous Dr. Caperton. "I don't know how much of Genesis' DNA was Jenovan. Tessa's test results on me have indicated that my DNA is approximately ten percent Jenovan, and that those genes are highly dominant. About six months ago, the Jenova creature was finally completely destroyed, so there is now no source of Jenova tissue on Gaia besides me and my offspring." Tessa glanced sharply at Sephiroth at this pronouncement.

Dr. Caperton realized his mouth was hanging open at this talk of aliens. He made a conscious effort to close it. "So that's the origin of your wing… and also your unusual physiology…"

"The Jenova creature had wings. Yes. Suffice it to say also, I have several unusual abilities." Sephiroth paused. He wasn't sure the doctor needed more elaboration on this subject. Tessa smiled slightly at the thought of just how they might deal with the baby being born throwing fireballs.

"Well then, I'll have to deliver the baby myself. I assume you don't want the whole world to witness the birth of a _winged child_." Dr. Caperton suddenly looked thoughtful. "I do wish my wife were here. She's a neonatologist. Her specialty is newborns…"

"Then be sure to have her meet us to check the baby when we get back to Midgar." Tessa winced; the contractions were getting stronger. "What else did you want to discuss?"

"Hm… Oh yes. Given that this Jenova tissue seems to be highly sought after… in certain quarters, shall we say… I think you need to determine what you want done with the placenta and the afterbirth."

"What?!" The couple chorused—more Jenova-type tissue!

"Well, normally these are simply discarded and return to the Lifestream after the baby's born, but in your baby's case, just throwing out its tissue doesn't seem to be a good idea. I imagine, too, that the tissues would also produce stagnant mako when they return to the Lifestream…" Tessa and Sephiroth nodded their heads thoughtfully. "I don't imagine that this Genesis-person was alone in his desire for Jenova tissue." Sephiroth continued to nod thoughtfully—who _now_ might want Jenova tissue? Hm. "If you can deal with the stagnant mako, you'll probably want to dispose of the tissues yourself. On the other hand, you could try to keep the tissues someplace very safe rather than dispose of them. You should consider keeping the tissues since cord blood is rich in stem cells. The list of diseases and conditions that non-differentiated stem cells _could_ eventually treat runs for pages, anything from leukemias and autoimmune diseases to blood abnormalities and even malignancies. Those stem cells could treat not only the baby in the future but either or both of you and any other children you may have as well. I doubt there's a list anywhere on Gaia of diseases and conditions to which _Jenovans_ are susceptible, so you may very well need stem cells to treat any ailment to which you might succumb in the future, General."

Tessa squirmed again. She had Sephiroth's medical history from Hojo's notes, but there had never been a mention of him being sick. "Have you ever been ill, darling?"

"No. I've suffered injuries, of course, in training and on the battlefield, but these have always been treated with materia… Illness and diseases, though—no. Not that I've ever known. When I was younger, I'd get sick from mako treatments but certainly not since I've been married… I suppose I could develop resistance to materia healing—_that_ happens sometimes. Treatment with stem cells in such a situation would be another reason to try and keep the tissues… _Security_ for them, though. Would they be secure in your laboratory, Tessa?"

"Hmph. I'd have thought _I'd_ have been secure in my own laboratory, but I don't know of anywhere else we could put such samples. Of course, we'd have to keep them in mako solution and eventually perhaps encase them in solid mako—easy enough to do at one of the reactors in Midgar. I suppose it will have to be there. You'd better ask Malik to be sure they have mako solution on hand at the base."

Across the RV, Cloud Strife was dozing, no longer interested in the conversation. The man in the silver bag, however, was far from asleep…

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"But for now, I need to know something. What is it that causes labor? Isn't it dangerous for the baby to be born so early?" Sephiroth looked at his wife.

Tessa shook her head, frowned, and winced with another contraction. "It's a complicated hormonal mess—not well understood—debated in the medical community." Tessa glanced at her husband. He was scrutinizing her—looking for more information. She shrugged. "The process seems to start with the baby. The baby's hypothalamus sends out hormones to the pituitary, the pituitary signals the baby's adrenals, which signal the placenta, which in turn signals the uterus to contract." Tessa paused to look at Dr. Caperton. "Once the process starts, there's no way to turn it off for longer than a couple of days. Yes?"

"Yes. That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about… Drugs can hold off labor as long as a week, but usually forty-eight hours are as long the drugs' side effects can be tolerated and are really needed to speed up the baby's lung development." Dr. Caperton looked closer at his patient. "When we get to the hospital, I'll give you an injection of a tocolytic. I want to hold you off for a couple of days, if at all possible, so that corticosteroids can speed up the baby's lung development—give it a fighting chance to breathe. You need to be aware that there are a number of side effects to the tocolytics: anxiety; heart palpitations—we'll have to monitor both you and the baby; chest pain; nausea, even vomiting; headache; low blood pressure; fever; sometimes fluid collects in the lungs, which can be life threatening; even hallucinations."

"Basically, to stop the contractions you have to turn off hormones from the baby. Correct?" Sephiroth was looking intently at the doctor.

"Yes, but there's no known way to do that! Also with Tessa's water broken and membranes ruptured, infection has become a risk… What are you thinking, General?" Dr. Caperton didn't like the look on the General's face.

"The membrane plugs could be restored with materia. Any infection could be fought with antibiotics."

"I sup-pose, but _why?!_ With the contractions started, the baby's coming…" Dr. Caperton looked sideways at the General. "You're not thinking there's some way to _stop labor?_"

"Perhaps."

"Well full term within the womb is best, of course; indeed, even a few more weeks would be preferable. What do you have in mind?"

"You people! You're pathetic!" A sneering voice cut through the RV noise from the bag at Cloud's feet. "I had that baby growing at _twenty times_ its normal growth rate, and those blasted Turks stopped me!" Hollander was awake.

Cloud bashed Hollander with the EMR rather than push the shock button. "Quiet!" Cloud raised the EMR and stared at it. "Oops." Reno's EMR was now bent at about a forty-five degree angle.

"Growth accelerant?! Could that harm the baby?" Sephiroth was alarmed. He wanted to bash Hollander a few times with the EMR himself. Too bad Strife had beaten him to it.

"I don't know, but I don't think I could have been exposed for long, so the effect should have been minimal. In fact twenty times normal should only have helped the baby…" Tessa tucked the revelation of Hollander using growth accelerant on her into the back of her brain for future consideration. Sephiroth would never knowingly allow the use of accelerants on his child—it was just too much like something Hojo would do. The thought of "something Hojo would do" caused Tessa to turn instead to another "Hojo" subject. "My love, I do have something… important… to tell you." Tessa paused. Just how was she going to break it to Sephiroth that he had a clone? Gently, she thought, but he deserved to know.

"Yes?" Sephiroth was looking out the front of the RV at the road ahead over Malik's shoulder again. About thirty miles yet, he guessed. Once they had finally got on a paved highway, Malik had pushed the RV's speed up to about eighty; probably as fast as the machine could go. They should be at the base in about twenty minutes, Sephiroth estimated.

"Did you ever consider the possibility that we didn't discover all the clones Hojo made of you?" There. She'd said it. Dead silence. Try again. "Darling, did you hear…"

"What?!" Suddenly Tessa had Sephiroth's full attention again. His eyes were greened up! "What did you say?!" The road had lost all its importance.

Tessa found she was holding her breath—not really a good idea when in labor. "When you said something to the effect that you and your offspring were the only sources of Jenova tissue left on the planet—well, that wasn't entirely… accurate…" Oh, this was not going well. The muscles of Sephiroth's face were bunching—the green was getting brighter. "Earlier this evening I met a man named 'Verdot'—I think he was the former head of the Turks?" Sephiroth's head jerked in confirmation. "It seems he found a girl wandering the Midgaran slums several years ago. He brought her with him here to Mideel when he retired from Shinra. He's certain she's a clone of you." Sephiroth's face was actually turning red. Wow, what a reaction… "He said he had found a collapsed laboratory of Hojo's that was filled with dozens of clones of you in tubes. All the clones were dead, though one tube had been smashed, and its occupant was missing. He thinks _she_ had been in that tube…"

"No… Hojo couldn't have managed this... There's a female clone of me walking around Mideel? How?! Hojo couldn't have accomplished this!" The dream of Lucy turning into Jenova, and Hojo's nasal voice sneering, "Finally, a viable clone," replayed itself through Sephiroth's mind.

"I'm afraid with dozens, maybe even a hundred clones, even Hojo could get lucky. Verdot seemed to think they dated from the time just before you went to Wutai. Hojo may have been attempting to make _replacements_ for you in case you didn't come back from the war... The clones in my laboratory seemed to date from the period when you returned from Wutai; with you safely returned, and presumably the initial clones destroyed, perhaps Hojo didn't feel he needed so many clones as _insurance policies_."

"We have to find that laboratory. Make sure there's nothing left…" Empty all the tubes. Dispose of the bodies. Destroy everything… Damn Hojo…

Tessa agreed, nodded, and then winced. Another contraction. "Yes. I know. I think Verdot can lead us there." She was afraid, however, that they were slightly off track. "Darling, Verdot has legally adopted the girl as his _daughter_. She _appears_ to be about eighteen or nineteen, I'd guess. She's _sentient._ Her name is Kamui, and you _saw_ her getting off the RV with Rufus Shinra… Remember?"

Sephiroth looked sharply at his wife. Realization hit him; the silver-haired young woman with the swollen eye and two swords who had been yelling at Rufus! Well, at least she seemed to be able to stand up to authority—not necessarily a good trait! Since she was still alive, presumably she could fight. A second realization hit Sephiroth then. _You knew!_

_Of course. _Vincent responded.

_You were _with_ Verdot. You had to have heard all this when Tessa did!_

_Yes… You're tired, aren't you? Took you a while to catch on… Now that you're a big brother, you'll have to watch out for your baby sister…_

_Oh no. We are not _even_ going there…_

_We'll see…And how're Tessa and my grandchild?_

_Don't change the subject… You're enjoying this!_

_As I said… Of course…_

Sephiroth gave a mental sigh._ Tessa's contractions are about six minutes apart… We're probably halfway to the base. Hm… Two can play this game… The baby is a _girl_, and we are calling her _Lucrecia Valentine_--"Lucy" for short._

…

_Would you two shut up?! _A new—female—voice had entered their mental conversation. _ If you're going to talk about me behind my back, please do it when I'm not awake, or something! All right?! Sheesh…_

_And let me guess. You're this sentient, female clone of me I keep hearing about._

_I certainly hope not!_

_What!!_

_You two have been talking in my head for months! Going on and on and on. I kept hearing voices nobody else could hear—I thought I was going insane! For your information, I'm _me_! I'm _Kamui!_ I'm _Verdot's daughter!_ So there! Get used to it and _be quiet!

…

Somehow Sephiroth caught amusement in Vincent's silence. This was going to take some getting used to…

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With the Soldiers and Turks underground in the New Banora facilities—and gone from the battlefield—the young man in the mask and straightjacket with mechanical wings again stepped from the shadows. "There you are." He beat his wings and was lifted into the air. The tips of his wings were mechanical hands rather than thumb claws that would have been expected on bats. He reached a hand and caught a ring of tissue wrapped with a silver hair from the tip of a branch high in an apple tree. "Tsk, tsk, Genesis… Look what has become of you…"

**A/N—The day after I wrote the section in which Dr. Caperton discusses the potential of stem cell research, the results of a three-year study where researchers caused "regular" pancreatic cells to turn into insulin-producing beta cells in mice, without using stem cells, was announced. I decided to keep the stem cell discussion, however, because (1) the potential for future applications of cord-blood stem cell research is still valid, and (2) on Gaia the discarded tissues containing Jenova cells would just turn into piles of stagnant mako—apparently only something Vincent Valentine can dispose of (licking his fingers as he goes)! Thanks for reading!**


	27. Prisoner in Wutai

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—This week's chapter is set in Wutai. But for a glimpse two weeks ago, we've not been in Wutai in quite some time. That aggravating Turk, Digital, has been bugging me to demand he get "screen time." I wish he wouldn't do that… Bjanik says **_**Sephiroth**_** bugs her while she's driving, going to the grocery store… Why can't it be Sephiroth who bugs me?**

**Warning: there's a lemon in this chapter—**_**a violent lemon**_**. You can skip it if you want.**

(4-6 pm, Wutai; 2-4 am, Mideel; midnight–2 am, Midgar; 8-10 pm, Gongaga)

Princess Yuffie Kisaragi looked at the young Soldier who had remained in the interrogation room with her. She had heard him called "Akita." Funny, she didn't have the urge to run from him as she had wished to run from Genesis Rhapsodos and the other Soldiers she'd seen, no matter the mako glow in his eyes. He clearly was Wutainese. What was he doing in Soldier, anyway? Could he help her get out of this prison? Yuffie hadn't liked her kunoichi training in "feminine wiles"—she hadn't been terribly good at it; well, okay, she'd been _bad_ at it—but maybe that training would come in handy now.

"Hey? Who are you?"

Near the door, Jens Akita started. He turned toward the handcuffed prisoner sitting at a metal table across the room from him. She'd been completely silent while Col. Griegos and Lt. Col. Wallace had been interrogating her with Jens as the translator. Now she seemed to be interrogating him! He reminded himself that the girl was the heir to the Wutai throne—and his enemy. Moreover, there were hidden cameras in the room. Whatever they said to each other would be recorded and analyzed—even if they did speak in Wutainese. He was on thin ice here and should be careful—along the lines of "name, rank, and serial number."

"Jens Akita."

"Aren't you Wutainese? Why are you a Soldier?" Yuffie was giving him the "puppy-eyes" look that always worked on her father when she wanted something. Yuffie knew that there had been a number of relationships between Wutainese and mainlanders, but these were strictly frowned on in Wutai and the offspring outcasts. The Soldier probably was one of _them_.

"I'm both." There. That was a good answer—short, sweet, giving nothing away, and strictly correct. Jens was rather proud of it.

Yuffie cocked her head to the side. Dig. Find out more—has to be something useful here somewhere—maybe give a little away on a gamble. "Akita. That's the name of one of my father's commanders. Makoto Akita. I don't suppose you're related to him?"

Jens nodded. It was all in his Soldier records—he'd had to disclose it as part of the Soldier application process. Applicants could have no secrets that could potentially lead to blackmail. Even if he'd tried to hide the relationship, the Turks would have learned of it anyway. He walked around the table and leaned over a corner toward the girl. "Makoto Akita. Yes, I'm related to him. _He's_ my father's younger brother. I know that here in Wutai, it was a scandal. Hajime Akita fell in love with a Shinra nurse who treated him. _They had me._ The Akitas have been warriors for generations. I don't think I could be anything else—I was born and bread to be a fighter… I've never met my uncle. The Akitas declared my father dead to them. Here in Wutai, they deny my existence. After all, how could a dead man father a child?" Maybe he shouldn't have told her, but he just couldn't quite help himself.

"I'm sorry." Yuffie looked up at the young man glaring down at her. She was suddenly afraid of him; his dark eyes were now glowing green. Surprisingly, she found she did feel sorry for him—he was just a year or two older than her. "It's not fair… I know the Akitas, and you're right. They're terribly old-fashioned, narrow-minded. I'm not surprised at their attitude." She paused. "If you wanted to meet Commander Akita, I could probably arrange it sometime… encourage the Akitas to accept you as part of their family…" She knew that last wasn't likely, but if it helped her cause, she'd say it. She lowered her eyes, trying for a look that implied "intimidated," while she checked out what he was carrying on him that she might acquire. She'd excelled at "pick pocket" training.

"No. I came to Wutai to help my mother watch over my dying father. When Wutai started bombing the base, however, one of the first buildings it hit was the _hospital!_ _Both_ my parents are dead now. I've no interest in meeting my father's family, and I know everything I need to know about their country. Thanks all the same, _your highness_." That last, Jens said with a sarcastic note. He was still reeling from his parents' deaths. No _princess_ was going to dig into his pain.

Yuffie gasped and looked back at the Soldier. She could tell by the look on his face that she'd intruded—hurt someone whose help she needed. "I'm sorry. I really am!"

Just then the interrogation room door opened. "Mr. Akita."

From behind him, Jens could hear the voice of the lieutenant colonel. He straightened and turned. "Sir?"

"It's time to put Miss Kisaragi back in her cell." Bill Wallace raised an eyebrow. Something had been going on in here. He'd have to question the Third Class shortly.

Jens blanked his face. "Yes, sir."

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Miles away from Shinra's Wutai base, at Tamblin Fortress, Emperor Godo stepped from his limousine, gathered his military-style coat around him, and surveyed his command staff. One of his commanders bowed deeply to him.

"Your imperial majesty, I regret to inform you, your daughter has not yet arrived."

"What?!" Normally a gentle, patient man, Godo raised his fist uncharacteristically and shook it in the man's face. _"Where is she?!"_ If anything had happened to her… The whole rebellion was for her—for the future of Wutai. Without his daughter, there was no reason for any of it!

"Majesty. There is no word. We have people searching the road to the palace. So far there's been no trace of her or her car found."

Godo's face blanched. The road between Tenshin and Tamblin—he traced its route in his mind. Oh no. It ran far too close to the Soldier base for his taste. "Please, Great Leviathan, it can't be…"

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Yuffie walked behind the Soldier officer. Yes, the tall, dark-haired man was the second-in-command as she recalled. He'd be no use; Akita, walking behind her, however, still held possibilities. She stumbled—it wasn't hard. While she was a qualified ninja, she had yet to develop the grace of most kunoichi.

Jens bent to help her, and the girl leaned against him for just an instant.

"Thank you." Yuffie smiled at him. Akita nodded to her. The group continued down the hall.

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Back in her cell, Yuffie kept her face sad, even worried, for the sake of the cameras she was sure were trained on her, even if she wasn't sure where they were. Inside, she felt just a bit of hope. She had managed to palm some kind of materia off Akita. She flopped to her bed on her stomach with a sigh and slid the orb under her pillow—stupid place to hide it, but there weren't many places available in the small room. She surveyed her "domain": metal frame cot, mattress, two blankets, pillow (no pillow case—or sheets, for that matter), metal toilet seat (very cold; the tank was behind the wall), metal sink, a few sheets of toilet paper, and paper towels. Metal bars. Gray concrete walls. Not even a trash can or mirror.

The Soldiers had even taken her engagement ring from her. She had hidden the diamond with its materia orbs in her clothes when she'd realized her situation, but they'd found it anyway. Genesis Rhapsodos wasn't much of an ally in her estimation—he wasn't worth even two orbs of materia.

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"And what did she get, Mr. Akita?" Outside the cell block, Lt. Col. Wallace turned his underling-quelling glare at his subordinate.

Jens smiled slightly. He'd expected her to pick his pocket, and Princess Yuffie hadn't disappointed him. "Just a cure materia—nearly useless to her now."

"Good. She can keep that, no harm." Wallace shook his head. "Digital has requested that he be allowed to question her. You'll need to be there to translate, if the Colonel agrees."

Jens felt his jaw drop slightly. Not that creepy Turk…

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Digital, the gnome Turk, rubbed his hands together in anticipation and followed a guard to the princess' cell. He was very much looking forward to questioning a princess, though in fact Col. Griegos hadn't authorized this. Griegos had said he'd take Digital's interrogation offer into consideration. Well fine. In fact, Digital didn't expect to do much "questioning" at all. That bit of meat—that _princess_—was just what he needed after his forced confinement on Wutai base; after all, she was an enemy combatant, wasn't she? Fair game as far as Digital could see. Maybe he'd even get some real information out of her. Digital had timed his excursion to the cell block carefully; it was just after 5:00 pm. The recording guys behind the interrogation room's one-way mirror were gone for the day by now, so the interrogation room was the perfect spot for him to do some "questioning"; the guards, however, watching via the cameras in the girl's cell would be there around the clock—no good "interrogating" her in her cell. Arriving at her cell, Digital could see that the girl was lying on her stomach on her cot, possibly asleep, with her head turned toward the wall and away from the cell bars.

"Come on, your highness, time for more questioning." The words were said in Wutainese—poor Wutainese to Yuffie's ear. The guard's keys rattled in the mechanical lock. An electronic lock above it was already open.

Yuffie turned her head at the sound. She wasn't sure why they had double locked her in the cell then had turned around and were apparently questioning her again so soon, but she had no intention of telling anyone in Shinra anything. She stood up slowly, careful to seem "helpless," then took two steps forward. A short, ugly man in a rumpled, blue suit pushed her from behind hard in the back as she passed through the doorway, and Yuffie fell face-first on the hallway floor. She whirled to her feet with a growl and a glare at the little man, but her hands were still cuffed and the guard was waving a sword in her direction.

The little man smirked. "Move it." Digital pushed Yuffie in the shoulder again down the hall and watched the teenager struggle to keep her feet as she scraped her back along the concrete wall. This was going to be fun.

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Jens stood at the door of the "cafeteria" looking across the early diners. The room had once been a large store room. Now makeshift "tables" (really just doors held up on boxes, and sometimes just boxes by themselves) stood around the room, and regular army, civilian employees, and a few Soldiers ate even more makeshift meals wherever they could find a clear spot. The above-ground base cafeteria had disappeared long since. There was an air of expectancy about the big room tonight. Probably everyone thought the war would be over soon, what with the capture of the emperor and his daughter. Jens didn't want to be the one to tell them they were only half right.

"Hey, Jens! So what'd you make of the princess?" Jerry Aman, one of Jens' trainee classmates and fellow Third Class Soldiers, hailed him from across the room. Jerry was blond and taller than Jens; he was also a crack shot and had been on the raid on the palace. "You were with her all afternoon…"

Jens didn't respond, looked down, and studied the floor as he shuffled his feet toward the food line.

"Jens!" Jerry stopped beside Jens and waved a hand before Jens' face. "Gaia to Jens! Come in Jens!"

A corner of Jens' mouth crooked as he looked at his friend. "Sorry." He continued to shuffle, however. He was still running the lieutenant colonel's words over in his mind. "Digital has requested that he be allowed to question her." If there was one thing Jens had learned on the raid, it was that Digital was a creep. Some guys who were creepy were also funny. Not Digital. Jens might not like the princess, but he actively disliked the Turk. Heck, even the Turk's own partner had bloodied Digital's nose when they were in the Tenshin caves!

"He-ey!" Jerry had stopped right in front of Jens forcing him to halt or plow over him on his way to the food. "I asked a question. You don't have to ignore me."

"Sorry." Jens had finally stopped in his headlong shuffle. "It's just that that damn Digital may get to question her."

Jerry shook his head. He sympathized with Jens. He hadn't liked Digital any more than Jens had. While Digital seemed good at his job—indeed, had been a contributor to the success of the mission—he rubbed everyone the wrong way. Half the time Jerry had hated the way Digital looked at him—like he could feel Digital's hands on his body. Weird. "So you'll have to translate? That'll be tomorrow?"

"I guess." Jens picked up a tray from a pile on a box and waited for his sandwich and Tessa bar. Food supplies were beginning to be thin. At least they still had Tessa bars—all the fresh foods were gone. Only mako-processed crap would be left soon. Nuts. Instead of bread, they were having dried meat between hard crackers tonight! And orange Tessa bars…

"So then, where's Digital now?" Jerry was scanning the room. The Turks usually ate early, too. Only Analog was in the room—surrounded by Second Classes. Across the room Jerry could see Col. Griegos and Lt. Col. Wallace eating together at an officers' "table." Every once in a while Jerry was sure Col. Griegos looked over at the red-head, and she smiled back. There was no male Turk in sight.

"What?" Jens started. "What did you say?" Jens' head jerked up. Jerry was right. Usually Digital sat glowering at the Soldiers who were impudent enough to try to talk to Analog. It rarely bothered the Soldiers, but nobody else in the room liked his attitude. "You're right. He's not here…"

"You don't suppose he'd interrogate her without a translator present? His Wutainese isn't that great." Jerry put a hand on Jens' arm. "Wouldn't the camera guys be gone by now, too? Think we'd better check what he's up to?"

"Yeah…"

cccccc-lemon-ccccccccc

"You can go now. I'll call when I'm ready for you to put her back in her cell…" Digital dismissed his escort, then turned to the girl seated at the room's metal table. He wondered briefly what Griegos' meant by "Turk interrogation methods." Probably something along the line of wood slivers under the finger nails—not at all what Digital had in mind. He had already checked the room behind the one-way mirror; no one was monitoring the interrogation room's hidden cameras--they were off.

"Now, we'll begin with you telling us where your father is, princess." Digital leaned across the table at Yuffie, purposely breathing in her face.

Yuffie leaned back, crossed her arms, and gave Digital a look that said, "You've heard it before, you idiot—silence, nothing. Get used to it." Digital's Wutainese might not be terribly good, but Yuffie understood him perfectly.

"And what are his plans for the base? When is he going to start the ground assault?" The girl didn't stir.

"Fine. Enough interrogation." Yuffie's eyes jumped to the little man. What could he be up to?

Digital took hold of the back of Yuffie's collar, pulled her out of the chair, and smashed her face into the table. In the process he pinned her manacled wrists beneath her and held her down by the neck. With his other hand Digital pushed the chair out of his way then ran the hand along her side. His hand shaped the side of her breast, bumped her hip bone, then slid to her groin where he poked his fingers hard through her pants. Digital leaned over her and pressed his erection hard between her cheeks. "You should have talked, baby."

The word "bastard" rang through Yuffie's mind. He didn't really believe this was going to make her talk, did he? He'd have a fight on his hands before that happened! Or she'd be dead. The bastard was fumbling with the catches on her slacks. She'd been trained for rape situations—do anything you needed to do to survive! Wait for him to make a mistake… Her clothes were now down around her ankles. Wait! His fingers were jabbing into her with a thumb on her nub. Ouch! Yuffie shook. She wasn't sure whether she was shaking from the pain or from the rage that was building in her. When the bastard leaned back just a bit to loosen his pants, Yuffie felt his hold on her neck slacken just slightly. Now spin without tensing your muscles! Yuffie whirled catching the little man with an elbow to his cheek and a knee to his groin. She slid off the side of the table to the floor and hit it hard. She tried to rise and regain her balance, but the bastard was already on her! The thought flashed through her mind—he'd probably been hit in the groin a _few _times.

Digital grabbed Yuffie by the throat and with a rush held her to the floor. He lay on top of her breathing in her face. "You want the floor, baby? Well that's just fine by me." He slapped her face, punched her in one breast, resumed his finger jabbing into her, and kneed his way between her legs.

Yuffie could feel the little man's erection against her body. She tried raising a knee to buck him over her head, but he seemed to know that trick. She fought and squirmed. She would have screamed, but this was Shinra and no one would have come to help her. Damn, bastard! Fight!

Ccccc-end lemon-cccccccccccc

In the cell block hallway, Jens and Jerry glanced into the princess' cell. She wasn't there!

"Come on. The interrogation room!" The Third Classes ran down the hall, Jens leading.

Jens took one glance through the tiny window in the interrogation room door. "Bastard! He's raping her! I'll just bet that wasn't authorized by the Colonel!" Jens didn't care if it hurt his career or not. This was wrong! Jens knew the door was reinforced, possibly locked. He looked at his friend. Two Third Classes should be able to break through with a running start. Jens took ten steps back from the door and set in a fighting stance followed by Jerry who understood what his friend was proposing without his saying it—flying side kicks, just like in sparring class on a bag! "On three… One… Two… Three!"

The young Soldiers' feet met the reinforced metal door and ripped it from its hinges. The lock bolts screamed from the frame. The bottom edge of the bending door caught Digital in the face, pulled him from the girl, and smashed him against the far wall. Jens and Jerry jumped away from the door, landed close to the wall, smiled at each other, and high-fived. "That's that way it's done! Yes!"

To the young Soldiers' shock, the princess tried to run from them, but her feet tangled in her clothes. Jens jumped over her head to land in front of her then turned. He stood just inside the splintered door frame, spread his hands wide, careful to make no threatening motion toward her. "It's all right. We're here to help. What he was doing was wrong. It's okay." Jens hoped she'd calm down. The princess had been fighting Digital well, as far as Jens could see, but now tears were starting to leak from her eyes. "Easy. Just breathe. Easy. It's okay. Easy. It's okay. Breathe. Easy." Jens' words were beginning to sound monotonous even to him—he just hoped they were at least a little soothing. He glanced over the princess' shoulder to Jerry. "You'd better tie _him_ up before somebody comes. I hear kisoris work for that sort of thing." Jerry nodded, pulled the remains of the door off the dazed Turk, pushed the man face first onto the floor and sat on him, then unhooked his straps.

"It's okay. Easy. Might want to put your pants on…" Jens waved a hand in the general direction of the princess' clothes but was careful to keep his eyes on her face.

Yuffie gave Jens a small nod and bent her knees to reach for her pants. Reaction was starting to set in. The adrenaline rush was ending, and Yuffie began to cry harder. Her knees didn't want to work. Suddenly Jens was beside her. He slowly lifted the waistband of her pants up from the floor and around her calves and thighs.

Jens looked in the princess' eyes and very slowly, gently, pulled her pants back into position. "Need me to close these?" Yuffie gave a short, negative jerk of her head, then when her hands shook too hard to close the snaps, she grimaced and jerked her head "yes." Jens carefully closed the snap, not putting his fingers inside the waistband to do so, then slowly raised the zipper, and immediately pulled his hands back. In the distance he could hear guards coming. "You okay?" Another affirmative jerk of her head. "Good. Come on. We've got to get you back to your cell. Okay?" Jens turned and took a step toward the hallway.

Jens was never quite sure afterward that he heard it. "Thank you."


	28. Mideel Base

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Sorry this took so long to post. We're having internet problems at my house, and the plot bunnies have deserted me again…**

(3 am, Mideel; 1 am, Midgar; 9 pm, Gongaga; 5 pm, Wutai)

The entry to Mideel Base was uneventful, and that was the problem. As soon as the gate security personnel realized it was base commander Malik at the wheel of the RV, he and his passengers were passed immediately into the compound—in violation of regulations, both Malik and Sephiroth noted—security was just a bit lax! While Sephiroth had wanted quick entry onto the base, this was just a little too quick! A very strongly worded reprimand was in the offing for someone. As they pulled into the base, a line of roughly half a dozen small military trucks that Malik had called ahead and ordered to reinforce the Soldiers at Banora pulled off the base.

"There go probably half the people I still have here." Malik looked in the overhead mirror at his commanding officer.

Sephiroth caught Malik's yellow eyes in the mirror; people always thought _he_ had strange eyes! Even Sephiroth found Malik's eyes greening up to be a very strange sight. "Sounds like I left you thin, Malik."

"Yes, I'm thin, but my people are needed elsewhere. We're primarily a regular army training installation after all. We'll get by. Nothing much ever happens in Mideel." A malicious smile streaked across Malik's face. "I'm just glad we got to see some action here. You've left poor Gavin in charge of Midgar. I understand he's chewing the insides of his cheeks to ribbons with frustration."

Sephiroth nodded. "Wouldn't surprise me in the least… I'll check in with him later."

ccccccccccccccc

As the RV took the fork in the road leading along the south perimeter fence, one of the gate guards requested relief for a few minutes. Inside the bathroom in the gate command house, he opened his PHS.

"Mr. Hutchins, I believe you wanted to be advised when Col. Malik returned?"

cccccccccccccc

At the base hospital, Malik was instantly off the RV. He quickly heard base status summaries and issued orders to a civilian aide. Two armed MPs were awaiting him to take the prisoner into custody. Also present were several members of the hospital medical staff. Sephiroth exited the RV into a pool of light before the entrance.

"General, this is Dr. Singleton, the head of our hospital." Malik indicated a small, round, dark-haired woman in pale green scrubs and lab coat. A cardboard quality came to the face of the local doctor at the sight of the General. Seph tended to have that effect on people. "Doctor, this, of course, is General Sephiroth. His wife, Dr. Romera, and her OB/GYN, Dr. Caperton, are still inside. Doctor, if you would lead the way for the General's party, I need to deal with a prisoner for a minute." Malik faced his commanding officer and saluted smartly. "Sir, I'll join you shortly." Sephiroth rarely required salutes from his First Classes; this occasion, however, involved civilians, and it was therefore needed. Sephiroth nodded slightly in response then climbed back into the RV.

"You okay?" Sephiroth gathered Tessa in his arms.

"I guess. Another couple of days, though…" Tessa shook her head and her mako-encrusted hair clattered slightly. She laughed and caught the amusement in her husband's eyes.

"Strife! You're with me. Grab my sword." Sephiroth headed off the RV. The MPs hauled Hollander off the vehicle and strapped him, bag and all, to a gurney. Dr. Caperton wanted to examine Hollander at the hospital's high-security area before the prisoner was sent to the base's jail facility.

Cloud's hand trembled as he reached for the Masamune. The General's sword had been lying on an overhead shelf above the RV windows. The Masamune! Wo-ow!

"Strife! Move!" The General had stuck his head back in the RV. Cloud grabbed the weapon and, looking as though he'd never held a sword in his life, clutched the Masamune in both hands as he clambered off the RV. Outside Cloud assumed a defensive stance at the General's back with the sword; the Masamune looked as though it would pull the shorter man over. Malik raised an eyebrow at the General. Sephiroth shrugged slightly. Tessa, seeing Malik's amusement, laughed. "Are we ready, Malik? If so, let's go!"

The party finally entered the hospital. At a bank of elevators, the gurney, Malik, and MPs took an elevator down to the high-security area to await Dr. Caperton's examination while the General and his party took a separate elevator up to the third-floor maternity ward. Sephiroth and Tessa could hear the doctors' conversation ahead of them as they exited the elevator.

"We'll be taking Dr. Romera to a labor suite in maternity." Dr. Singleton paused. "As you can see, Doctor, our hospital is small by comparison with the university hospital in Midgar." Singleton was apologizing to Dr. Caperton. "We can, however, at least offer you gentlemen the use of our doctor's showers and changes of scrubs, if you'd like."

Dr. Caperton resumed walking and thereby forced the woman to continue guiding them. He wanted to get to their destination. "I'm sure your facilities will be fine. What do you have in the way of neonatal facilities for _very_ premature infants?" Sephiroth approved of Caperton's movements.

Dr. Singleton raised an eyebrow. Caperton clearly was in a hurry. She waved a hand in the direction they needed to go and moved ahead. "We usually divert such patients to the main hospital in Mideel, but, as I understand you specifically want the baby to be born on base, we'll make due. After we get Dr. Romera settled, I'll show you what we have available. Since Mideel Base is primarily a new-recruit training facility, our patient base tends to be very young and family-oriented. We have very good maternity and pediatric facilities."

"Good." Dr. Caperton paused and caught Dr. Singleton's eye for emphasis. "I need to ask that none of your staff enters Dr. Romera's room without specific permission."

Dr. Singleton looked surprised, but this was a military installation after all, and she was used to taking orders. "As you wish. I'll let them know."

"Do you have other patients in this part of the hall?"

Dr. Singleton nodded. "We have two women in other labor suites and one in a birthing room."

"And 'birth' is where?"

Dr. Singleton waved a hand behind her. "Back in that area."

"If you have the room in your birthing area, I want _all_ the other patients cleared from the labor suites."

Dr. Singleton again looked slightly surprised. "Yes, sir. I'll issue the instructions… If it meets with your approval, I believe we'll put Dr. Romera in here." Dr. Singleton opened the door of a labor suite at the end of the corridor in the maternity department near a nurse's station.

Dr. Caperton entered and wandered about the room to inspect the facilities. Sephiroth with Tessa stepped inside as well. Dr. Caperton turned and caught the General's eye awaiting his approval. Sephiroth nodded slightly. "Yes, this will be fine." The small woman turned away toward the nurse's station.

"Strife! Bring my sword inside then _you're on guard outside this door_. Understood?"

"Sir!" Wow! Cloud rushed inside and set the Masamune on a counter, where it hung over the edge of the tabletop and its tip quivered slightly above a large sink. Back in the hall, Cloud pulled the Baby Buster from his back, assumed a fighting stance, and glared at the staff and Dr. Singleton, who was at the nurse's station issuing orders to move the department's other patients.

In the labor suite Sephiroth continued to hold his wife in his arms while the doctor completed his inspection of the facilities. The room was set up for birth, if necessary, but typically mothers were moved from a labor suite to a birthing room for actual delivery. A small bathroom with a shower was part of the suite. Good.

Dr. Caperton turned to the couple. "It's all right to set her down now, General…" Leonard Caperton was careful not to smile at the chagrined expression on the General's face as he let Tessa stand. "Tessa, there's a bathroom with a shower here and a gown's been laid out. I'm sure you'd like to get the remainder of the mako off you before the baby comes." At Tessa's vigorous nod, the doctor did smile. "General, Dr. Singleton has offered us the use of the doctors' shower facilities and changes of scrubs if you and Mr. Strife would like to get cleaned up as well."

"I'll stay here and shower, though I'll take you up on the offer of the clothes. Strife can use the doctors' facilities shortly if he wants."

"Then I'll leave you two alone for a bit. I'll hold the door while Mr. Strife is gone. When I return, we'll get Tessa on the monitors to check her contractions. Normally I'd do that immediately, but since we're going to hold off labor, it can wait a few minutes." Sephiroth nodded his agreement, and Dr. Caperton left the room.

"Thank goodness! Finally, we're someplace safe!" Tessa winced and leaned over clutching her stomach gently. She rather thought the contractions were coming farther apart, but she wasn't sure. Suddenly, she felt Sephiroth's hands reaching around her to feel her stomach.

"Are you all right?" His breath tickled her ear.

"I suppose I'm as well as can be expected under the circumstances…" Tessa turned to face her husband, but his hands went right back to her stomach in its grimy, mako-encrusted lab coat. The skin continued to ripple under his palms.

It was shocking, alarming, to feel the motion under his hands. "Too early…" Sephiroth suddenly realized how small Lucy would be right now and that she might possibly join Angel with his mother! Sephiroth wanted this to stop. Badly. "Tessa, there might be a way to stop this, and let the baby grow inside you as she should."

"What?! You said something along those lines in the RV…" Tessa shook her head. Her head felt full, as if she were getting a cold—as if she were disconnected from the scene. Even the Lifestream voices were muffled. "What are you suggesting anyway?"

"When I was dead, I met some… one…" Sephiroth paused. This wasn't coming out well. What he'd experienced probably couldn't be described to someone who hadn't been through it personally—which was probably just him in all of Gaia. Try again. "You said yourself that the baby starts the birth process. If I could communicate with the baby and get her to stop the release of the hormones, then the membranes could be restored with materia. We could reverse this process."

Tessa knew better than anyone that souls continued to exist in the Lifestream after death. That Sephiroth had met someone while he was dead, she didn't doubt. "How? Is this some variation on the way you and Vincent communicate?"

"Essentially, yes." Sephiroth paused. She didn't know about this, but she needed to… "There was a period yesterday, during which both Vincent and I were in terrible pain that had no clear cause. We think it was because the baby was in pain—that Hollander had started the process of taking Lucy out of you…"

Tessa looked away from the desire to help her written into her husband's features. "Yesterday? The whole time I was in the tube was one long dream—most of it was truly beautiful." She looked back at Sephiroth, raised her hand, laid it along his cheek, and smiled. "These tiny baby girls came to be with me—Angel and Lucy—and I held them in my arms, slept with them there. I pictured for them the people who were going to be important in their lives: their Uncle Zack, who's always happy and laughing; their somewhat grim grandfather, Vincent; and most important, their magnificent father, who came striding toward them, with his shining hair…" She sighed. "They were so _precious_, Sephiroth, so beautiful and _perfect_... That I had could have _lost_ one of them…" Tessa's eyes squeezed shut, and tears leaked out. Her hand slipped from his face. "Maybe that's it. I want to see it so badly, _I've_ caused the baby to come too early. Just by wanting it…"

Sephiroth gathered Tessa's wrists in his hands. "You know that's not true. I rather think Lucy wants to see _us_ so badly that she's coming now."

"What?!"

"Sweetheart. I think your dream was somehow real." Sephiroth kissed a tear that ran down Tessa's face. "When I was dead, I met little Lucrecia, and Angel, too, and I knew you'd want to see them both so badly…" He paused. "Was there a time in your dream when something _bad_ happened?"

Tessa nodded her head in small jerks. "Yes, there was. Later. When I'd been sleeping with the girls in my arms, Lucy pushed back from me. She had a fever, and her body convulsed and her skin rippled. Then my skin stretched and cracked, and I was sick also. It was awful. Here I am a medical doctor, but I could do nothing to help my own child. The whole thing seemed to go on and on, but after a while the girls settled back into my arms, and we went back to sleep."

"Remember what Hollander said? That he'd given you an accelerant to speed up the baby's growth? I think that was what you were feeling, you and Lucy growing fast… Remember too, when we were in Nibelheim, you said you could hear Jenova trying to talk to the babies? Like I said, dreams can be real, and the baby can communicate—not just receive, but send."

"So, what are you planning? How can any of this stop labor?" She paused. "Please don't tell me you're planning on sticking me back in a tube and giving me growth accelerant! That dream was horrid—the baby and I were so sick…"

"I know—Lucy broadcast that pain. Vincent and I both were _incapacitated_ by it. Fortunately we weren't in the middle of a fight when it happened." Sephiroth paused. She seemed ready for the truth. "When I was dead, love, I learned that someone is watching over me, over all of us, and _I can communicate with them in dreams._ I think I can get them to help to stop the contractions and keep Lucy from coming so soon."

"All right." As far-fetched as it sounded, Tessa was willing to try Sephiroth's idea if it could help Lucy. "Dreams… You'll have to be asleep. Yes?"

"Yes. I'll try to get Vincent to do this as well… Maybe even my loud-mouthed 'sister' too."

"And if it doesn't work, we'll do it Dr. Caperton's way?"

"We'll have to. We should probably let him go ahead and give you the drugs anyway. A tocolytic? Was that it?"

"Yes." She paused. "When do you want to sleep?"

"We both need to get cleaned up, and I want to use Malik's com system to contact Midgar to find out what's going on in the rest of the world, especially Wutai. Then, after that, I'll sleep."

ccccccccccccccccc

Out in the hallway, Cloud continued to hold his Baby Buster in a defensive stance. He couldn't believe his luck! The General was giving him a chance to redeem himself after Cloud had lost the General's wife to kidnappers! Excellent! He had hoped that after his performance against the Hewley clone earlier, he wouldn't have to leave Soldier and join the regular army. Now it looked for sure like he could stay in Soldier! Yes!

Cloud glared at the passing medical staff members. They skittered away from the young Soldier, half amused and half alarmed. Bring 'em on! Nobody was getting near the General's wife! Not this time!

Cccccccccccccccc

"I see. So General Sephiroth has brought his pregnant wife here to Mideel Base—complete with Jenova tissue. And Dr. Hollander is here as well… All right." Hutchins, the former head of Shinra security for Mideel Island, nodded his head, his jowls shaking in the process, broke the connection on his PHS, then dialed a new number. "We're mounting an attack on the Mideel Base hospital. I want everyone in Mideel to move in—quietly. The hospital is along the base's south perimeter fence. I want the attack to commence in," Hutchins glanced at his watch, "two hours." He looked annoyed at the reaction at the other end of the line. "_Don't worry._ Most of the Soldiers and military personnel have been transferred elsewhere. You shouldn't have any _real_ trouble. _Move!_"

Ccccccccccccccccc

Tessa's hands shook as she tried to unbutton the filthy lab coat and another contraction rippled through her abdomen. She realized her motor control was poor. Indeed her knees were wobbling and began to buckle. Sephiroth, alarmed, slid his arm around her waist and helped her to stand.

"I'm sorry. I seem to be a mess. Could you help me undress?"

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at his wife. "Anytime. You have to ask?!"

Tessa leaned against his arm and laughed softly. "You may need to hold me up in the shower, too."

Sephiroth tilted his head to the side, looked at the ceiling, and seemed to consider his answer. "I guess I could handle that…"

"Are you laughing at me?!" Tessa laughed softly and smiled.

Sephiroth, with his arm still around Tessa's waist, helped her move into the bathroom, locked the door to the labor room, and let his wing come out through his torn battle coat. Wrapping the wing around his wife, his hands were then free to work her buttons. He could feel her trembling through his feathers and wing bones.

"Tess?! Your skin is like ice! You're freezing!" Sephiroth suddenly realized that Tessa's eyes were closed and her head was sagging toward his wing. "Tessa, look at me. Tessa, come on, Tessa… Wake up, sweetheart…" Sephiroth located the bathroom's emergency call button and nearly smashed it in his haste. He'd seen these signs before—on the battlefield! Tessa was going into shock!


	29. Cleaning New Banora

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—About the last chapter, it occurred to me that, like –CNFB-, you too might be unfamiliar with shock, so here's some background info.**** Tessa has gone into "hypovolemic shock." This is the most common type of shock and is completely unrelated to "emotional shock" that results from an emotionally traumatic event (like Sephiroth dying). Hypovolemic shock occurs when there's insufficient blood circulating in the body. Without enough blood, too little oxygen is transported to the cells, the mitochondria then don't produce enough ATP, cell membranes are damaged, and acids build up in the body because the liver doesn't have enough oxygen to use in removing the acids. Basically the body shuts down. This type of shock is generally the result of blood loss—Sephiroth would certainly recognize the signs.**

**A/N—Angeal Valentine has been begging me for the story to return to the Turks, so this week we're back in New Banora. Why does she get her wish? Well, the answer is at the end of this chapter.**

(3 am, Mideel; 1 am, Midgar; 9 pm, Gongaga; 5 pm, Wutai)

Vincent Valentine entered the huge mako pool room and stood aghast. He had heard from Rude that the natural pool was five times larger than that at the Nibelheim reactor, but this body of mako wasn't a pool, it was a lake! All the Turks, with the exception of Rude, who'd seen it before, were amazed. If the island weren't geologically unstable, there was enough mako here to build a reactor that could light most of the eastern continent! No wonder Old Man Shinra had been interested in Banora; it was a power treasure trove.

Suddenly Vincent felt himself mentally kicked. Chaos was trying to get his attention, as was Galian Beast, his "dog"—must be smelling something—but Tseng was speaking and giving orders for the Turks to spread out through New Banora. Rude's friend, Vanessa-7, waved her hands indicating roughly what was down each of the corridors that branched out of the pool room. Rude took the woman's hand and went back the way the Turks had entered. Vincent had a vague impression Rude was going to Hollander's laboratory. Parties of Turks moved out into the various corridors. Most of the Soldiers had remained top-side to pick off escaping fighters and aid in cleanup when the troops from Mideel Base arrived. After all, narrow concrete corridors rarely lent themselves to sword work.

"Vince, we're taking the training room facilities and armory." Verdot nudged his friend. No reaction. Oh well. Wouldn't be the first time Valentine hadn't responded to something Verdot had said. "Come on, man. This is old-time, shoot-em-up stuff."

Inside Vincent's head, however, another conversation was going on. _**The pool can't remain here. Others with evil intentions will attempt to use it for their own nefarious schemes.**_

Vincent shook his head slightly as if to clear it. _Since when does anyone use the word_ nefarious? Vincent's question was met with silence from Chaos. _Fine. Whatever… So what can be done?_

_**The land must be raised such that the mako does not gather here any longer.**_

_I see, and can you do that?_

_**Perhaps.**_

_And how do you propose to 'raise the land'? _More silence from Chaos. _Great. Just let me know when you decide to do something—don't push me aside and take over. _As if Chaos had ever stopped to take Vincent into account. Well, Vincent supposed, there might be a first time—even for this…

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Tseng stood in Lynette Hiland's monitor-filled office and glared at the broken glass. He knew Rude had needed to destroy all the monitors, but Tseng rather wished Rude had at least left a few of the machines operational. Tseng could see how convenient Ms. Hiland's arrangement had been. He tapped the communicator around his ear with the code for Rude's PHS.

"Rude."

Good. "Where are you?"

"Hollander's lab. I'm grabbing his notes for Dr. Romera. I'm sure she'll want to read _all_ Hollander's documents. Take a few bottles of his stuff, too… And now we're going into his office—nuts! There are filing cabinets in here! Gonna need help with them…"

"Okay. I'll send you some bodies… Any trouble getting there?"

"None. The corridors we were in were completely empty, as if all the clones had run for it."

"What's your friend Seven say?" There was a pause as Rude presumably consulted with the clone.

"She agrees, but insists her sister Vanessas are probably hiding in a room somewhere together. She wants to find them…"

" 'Sister Vanessas'? Never mind. I don't even want to know… All right, you can find them, but later. I need her where she can 'put the monsters to sleep' as she promised."

"Right. We'll be finished here soon. Send the bodies. Out…"

Behind him, Tseng could hear the contents of drawers being rifled; Rufus Shinra was exploring Hiland's desk and covering the two chairs in the room with papers and files he'd removed. Sitting cross-legged on the desk was Rufus' new personal bodyguard, Verdot's daughter, Kamui. Given the amount of glass on the floor, the desk was probably the only safe place to sit. Kamui had taken out one of her swords and was removing a nick in its cutting edge with a small whetstone and oil while she hummed to herself. Tseng decided that, like Sephiroth, she probably needed to be killing something.

Tseng tapped the code for Reno's PHS. "Report."

"Bossman! Good to hear from ya, yo! We just drove past Apple Town. No lights on anywhere."

"Any cars, activity of _any_ sort?"

"Nothing at all, yo. We're gonna leave the RV about where I had the listening truck, then head in on foot."

"Good. Secure the Apple Town headquarters. I want it locked down tight. No one in or out. Capture Lynette Hiland—alive if at all possible."

"You got it… FYI, boss, we're almost for sure gonna need back up here—guys with guns or Soldiers with swords. Depending on what we find, maybe even a truck."

"Right. I'll see what I can do." Tseng glanced at his watch. "Trucks from Mideel Base should be on the way by now. I'll send you one."

"Thanks… We'll report ASAP."

Tseng gave a small sigh. He hated being away from the action, but someone had to coordinate things…

Cccccccccccccc

"Here." Vanessa-7 appeared with a dolly at the entrance to Hollander's office. "For the filing cabinets."

"Thanks." Rude took hold of the handle of the cart, moved it into the small room, and tried to figure out how he was going to move the crammed cabinets onto the dolly—maybe take the drawers out first. Suddenly three sturdy young Turks appeared in the door. Rude decided to leave them the task of manhandling the cabinets, with or without their drawers. "Get these filing cabinets to the surface." He ordered then turned to Vanessa-7. "Seven, is there an elevator to ground level around here anywhere?"

"Hm hum. Back that way." Vanessa-7 waved her arm in the direction of the hallway away from the mako pool.

"Thanks." He looked at his moving guys. "You think you can handle that?"

"Yes, sir!" Great, enthusiasts—eager to please—even after hours of fighting… Rude just hoped they'd manage to get the cabinets to the surface.

"Come on, Seven." Rude extended his hand to the clone, but Vanessa-7 shook her head and led the way back to Hollander's sample prep room. Rude followed her curiously; he hadn't expected her to go there. She stopped before a tall, metal supply cabinet, opened the doors, and stood gazing inside with a rather sad expression on her face. Rude placed his hand on her shoulder. "What is it, Seven?"

She turned her head to look at Rude. "I never thought I'd be the one to dispose of someone else."

"Seven, did you ever shoot that gun I gave you?"

She shook her head with small jerks. "No-o." Rude wasn't surprised. He couldn't imagine her harming anyone, anything for that matter either.

Rude gathered the clone into his arm and kissed the top of her head. "It's okay, baby. We're still alive and things'll work themselves out." He could feel her head nod against his chest and her arms wrap around his waist. Vanessa-7's head tilted up to look at Rude—he didn't like the sadness in her eyes—and he bent his head, took possession of her mouth, and pulled her tight against him. He could feel her hands creeping up the back of his rubbery night suit, perhaps looking for the zipper again. Rude's hand slipped under the edge of Vanessa-7's too small, hand-me-down, tee-shirt. He gathered her skin between his fingers, pushed her bottom toward him with his prosthetic, wedged his knee between her legs, and could feel her moving against his thigh. Rude broke the kiss to pull her shirt over Vanessa-7's head. Her skin gleamed at him, and her breasts spilled out of the bra. Rude lowered his head to tease her nipple through the lace, and hardened it to a peak with the scrape of his teeth. He wanted to slip inside of her right there. The thought of the back room—and the lock on its door—swept invitingly across his mind. There was no Reno this time to remind him he should stop... Crap… I am going to kill him, and he is not even here to die!

Vanessa-7 pulled back from Rude and took his face between her hands. "What? Why'd you stop? I want you to… do things…"

Rude nodded. "And I want to, baby, believe me, I want to." Re-no! "We've got to get back to business… Later though. I promise!"

Vanessa-7 looked away from Rude. She seemed sadder than she had before. "Please don't make me promises. A promise to a clone is easy to break…"

"No way, Seven!" Rude gathered her close, her breasts pushed into him, and her arms wrapped around his neck again. "We'll do this right—lots of time and comfort—not tables and boxes and hard cement... I am not letting you get away from me any time soon!" Vanessa-7 smiled at him, then kissed Rude gently. To Rude it seemed that everything she did had a gentle quality to it. He released her then bent to pick up her shirt. He handed it to her to put on; he wasn't sure his prosthetic wouldn't rip it if he tried to help her with it.

"Back to work…" Vanessa-7 sighed then bent her knees and pulled a clear bottle of solution from the bottom shelf of the cabinet. "This is Dr. Hollander's 'disposal solution' mixture. It'll put the monsters to sleep—permanently." She handed the bottle to Rude.

Rude turned the bottle around in his hands. It was quart-sized and presumably filled with some kind of poison. Other than the word "Disposal" handwritten on the glass, there were no labels with formulas that might indicate what it contained. Well, he supposed, it might just wake up the monsters, but he rather doubted it. "All right… Is this enough?"

Vanessa-7 shook her head and reached back into the cabinet. "We'll need more. Here…" She then filled Rude's arms and her own with as many bottles as they could carry.

It struck Rude that Hollander had been prepared to do a great deal of "disposing." He raised an eyebrow at Vanessa-7 and mumbled around a bottle. "Think this'll be enough? You know where any more of those dollies are stored? We kinda need one."

Vanessa-7 shook her head, just managing to not lose a bottle piled on top. "No more dollies, but we can grab Dr. Hollander's wheeled chair from his office. That'll help."

"Right. So where are we taking this stuff anyway?"

"The control room for the tubes is off the pool room, near Big Sister's office."

"Let's go then and get that chair before I drop one of these."

Vanessa-7 shook her head. "Don't. Breaking one of these bottles would be _bad_."

Rude took a half step back in surprise. He didn't even want to know. "Ri-ight."

Back in Hollander's office, Rude and Vanessa-7 loaded the bottles into an empty cardboard box then put the box on the chair. Rude noted that Hollander's file cabinets were gone. Soon they were on their way back to the pool room.

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"Commander? May I speak with you for a minute?" Blond Elena appeared in the monitor-room doorway. Tseng, Rufus, and Kamui raised their heads in surprise. Rufus raised an eyebrow, glanced at Tseng and noted his stunned expression, then nodded to Kamui to follow him out. Kamui looked rebellious but went. Rufus closed the door behind her.

"Commander, I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier." Elena had stepped into the room, but she remained several feet from Tseng.

Tseng's head came up. "Apologize? To which behavior are you referring?"

Color flared in Elena's cheeks, and she looked down and studied her feet. Was he really going to make her say it? "The part where I lied to you and told you I wasn't hurt… A Turk should never lie to her commander. I just didn't want you to think badly of me." Elena raised her head but found she couldn't see Tseng clearly. Damn! She ran a hand across her eyes only to find it came back wet with tears. This really wasn't what she'd wanted to say, and it certainly wasn't coming out right!

Tseng shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Trainee Elena, think about it. How many missions have you been on? How much real experience do you have in fighting? Did you, or did you not, just lose your sister a few hours ago?" Considering all that, Tseng thought the girl was rather lucky to be standing in the room at all. "In truth, when I ordered every available Turk in Midgar on this mission, I probably should have excluded the trainees, but I needed _every single person_. You're actually lucky to be alive. I haven't had time to do an accurate count, but I _know_ that at least two of your fellow trainees are dead."

Elena gasped. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know." She whirled to leave, her hair spinning around her shoulders.

Tseng's brow knotted, and his breath caught in his throat. He didn't want her to go. "Elena, stop. Don't leave just yet." He raised a hand toward her.

Elena looked slowly over her shoulder back at her commanding officer. She could read the conflicting emotions on his face, in his body posture. She was across the room in his arms before either of them was sure what had happened. "Tseng!" Elena wrapped her arms around Tseng's neck and pulled his head down to her mouth.

Tseng tried to pull back, but the girl just kissed him harder, more urgently! Tseng reminded himself, she's so young—sixteen!—and hurting. Her sister had just died—you can't take advantage, Tseng! But his arms wrapped themselves around her waist and behind her head and pulled her closer to him. Tseng could feel his body hardening at her nearness. When Elena opened her mouth and stroked her tongue along his, all rational thought tried to flee from Tseng's mind. Tseng leaned back. "Elena, you know now is not the time for this…"

Elena's head nodded in short jerks. "I know. But I wanted you to know that I've thought about it," she glanced at the ceiling—be honest, she reminded herself. "That is, while I was shooting, I was thinking, and maybe I wasn't hitting things too well, but…" She winced and looked up at him. "Something could happen, and I might never get the chance to tell you. That is…" Elena lowered a hand from his neck, leaned back a bit, and pulled it up along Tseng's groin. Good, he wanted her, too; wow, he was, well, impressive! The breath left Tseng's body in a rush, and Elena smiled. She paused and took a deep breath—there was no air in the room! "Commander Tseng, I love you." With that declaration, Elena was out of the room without a backward glance, the door left slightly ajar.

Tseng gasped in surprise. What was that now? Seven surprises in two days! "Elena!" Tseng's hands fell back to his sides, empty. "Elena, I love you, too." Tseng wanted to call her back, take her up on that stroking, but he couldn't. Did they love each other, or did she want comfort in a time of crisis while he hadn't had sex in, sheesh, how long _had_ it been? He had thought he was immune to this sort of thing. Tseng shook his head. It was all happening just too fast! Tseng made himself, and her, a promise. When we get back to Midgar, Elena, we'll take this slow and figure it out. We'll give these emotions the attention they deserve, but for now, Tseng, just get back to work…

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"Well, whaddaya know." Rufus Shinra leaned against the landing railing high over the New Banora mako pool with his arms crossed over his chest, but he wasn't looking at the shimmering wealth below him. Rather his eyes followed the young, blond Turk who had rushed out of Lynette Hiland's office without a backward glance. She'd been crying and smiling at the time! The words, "Elena, I love you, too," had followed the girl out of the room.

"Hm?" The Sephiroth clone clearly hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Kamui had completed sharpening her white-handled sword and was now seated in the middle of the landing floor with her back toward Tseng's door. She was rubbing her black-handled katana on her whetstone. Rufus noticed that from her position on the floor she had a clear view of the entire chamber. Good bodyguard position—even when sharpening her swords—but she hadn't reacted to the running Turk.

"Do you miss things a lot?" Rufus was curious. Most women noticed things like the little vignette he'd just seen.

"What things?" Kamui was squinting ferociously at her sword. It seemed to be offending her somehow, then Rufus remembered. The girl was blind in one eye. It probably took a fair amount of concentration to do what she was doing. Rufus walked over to her and gently took the sword from her fingers. "Hey! What're you doing? Gimme that back!"

"No. I want to talk to you."

Kamui frowned. "Bout what?"

"Well, for starters, what do you plan to do after we finish here in Mideel? Are you coming to Midgar, as Verdot said, to join the Turks?"

Kamui's frown deepened. "I don't really wanna, but the Boss wants me to kind of 'follow in his footsteps.' Me, though, I like swords, and I like working on swords, and I like fighting with swords." She paused, just a bit embarrassed. "Don't tell the Boss, okay, but he thinks I was missing for two weeks last year—just wandering around, ya know? I wasn't though." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. Rufus found himself leaning toward her to hear her secret. "I was studying with a Wutainese swordsmith on the other side of Mideel from here. Don't tell him, okay?!" Kamui searched Rufus' face for his reaction. "You think that's weird?"

"No. Not at all. I like swords, too—I have several quite valuable ones—but when I fight, I always use a shotgun. I'm not really very good with a sword, nor with a gun, so I stick with shotguns. Can't hardly miss at close range with multiple lead pellets." He handed her back the black-handled katana, and Kamui nodded and slipped the sword into its scabbard on her back. When she moved as if to stand, Rufus reached for her hand and helped her to her feet.

"Thanks." Kamui reached a hand toward Rufus' shot gun. "May I?"

Rufus raised an eyebrow in surprise. No one had ever wanted to see his shotgun before! He suddenly hoped it was clean enough to pass muster by someone who probably knew what they were doing when they inspected it; wasn't as if he hadn't been shooting the thing though! Better turn this conversation around. "You didn't answer my question. Are you coming back to Midgar?" Rufus unslung the weapon from around his shoulders and handed it to the girl.

Kamui frowned at the gun then broke it open to make sure it wasn't loaded. "I guess so, though I'm not sure what I wanna do. I'm kinda hoping that the Boss'll wanna come to Midgar with me if I do decide to go…"

"I see." Rufus considered. He was surprised to find he wanted her to come to Midgar. "Well, if you do come, you can have the job as my bodyguard." He laughed slightly. "I know it _pays_ well… Verdot's welcome back with the Turks anytime, of course."

Kamui closed the shotgun, one finger running over the intricate swirling engraving on the barrels. "Ni-ice. Shinra H&H Over and Under." She glanced up at Rufus. "Only the best, hn?"

"As you say, _only the best_." Rufus smiled at the girl. He took the weapon from her fingers with his right hand and her right hand with his left. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. When she ducked her head, her long, silver bangs hid the confusion he glimpsed in her face. Rufus started slightly. The motion of her hair increased her resemblance to the General. "Yes. _Only_ the best." He smiled to himself.

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Everything was quiet. No lights. No cars. No movement. Just _too damn quiet_. Like the night they'd been captured—that in itself made the skin between Reno's shoulder blades itch. Never a good omen… Reno and his fellow Turks, Landers and Gonzales, had parked the RV along the road, climbed white-painted fences, then walked cautiously toward the Apple Town commune staying under cover. Now they were hiding in a small grove of trees and checking out the situation in the small community across a dip in the land from them. The scene was lit only by the large moon that was still occasionally obscured by clouds, even after Sephiroth had cleared most of them from the sky. The General was a cloud herder—Reno rather liked that idea—kind of matched the man's hair. Yeah. All that silver hair that Reno had always wanted to wrap himself up in—maybe the General's "sister's" hair sometime. He guessed Rufus would tire of his "bodyguard" shortly, and he, Reno, planned to be there to pick up the pieces. Yeah, good plan—just wait… For now, though, better get his mind back on Apple Town and the present situation.

Less a "town" and more of an over-sized farm, Reno had briefed his team on the Apple Town layout he'd learned from Rude's tour of the place several days before. While Reno hadn't actually seen Apple Town himself, Rude had sketched the layout for him. A winding road wove between white, barn-like buildings. On the left of the road were dormitories with small single rooms for females, then buildings with apartments for families—a school and daycare for children and a large cafeteria was in the middle of these buildings—and finally dormitories for single men. The Apple Townians kept the men and women separated—Reno had smirked at the idea—as if distance would keep people from getting together. The first building on the road's right was Lynette Hiland's administration building, with other buildings for apple processing, storage, and farm equipment and cars, work and repair shops, even coops for animals farther along the road's right hand side. Each building's function was painted in large black letters near its front door—terribly convenient to Reno's way of thinking.

"_Too_ damn quiet, yo. You'd have thought somebody would be up what with all the fireworks from the fight earlier." Reno's fingers itched for a cigarette. He hadn't had one in days. "Gonzo, can I get a cig and a light?"

Gonzales, the Turk who had driven the RV, growled at Reno. He hated that nickname, and he knew Reno knew he hated it. "Do you mind?! Here… Don't let anybody spot the fire, man." Gonzales was one of the best executive protection drivers in the Turks. He was also one of the ugliest men Reno had ever seen—tall and thickly built, with a scarred face, and without the little finger on his left hand. Landers, Gonzales' partner, by contrast, was dark-skinned and handsome. He had occasionally been tapped for "evening gown duty" with the now-dead Jayna. The nickname "Lando" had been plastered on Landers from day one in the Turks. It had been something of a joke to compare the good-looking Landers to the old man, Londo Shinra.

Reno took a drag on the cigarette, careful to stay behind his tree. Oh, that was better! Now maybe he could think clearly. "Bossman ordered us to lock down the headquarters and capture Lynette Hiland alive. We'll need to go through her papers, grab her computer and her secretary's... Ya know, I'll bet Hiland's office is bugged. When Rude was on the wire in there, I kept picking up static, _especially_ when he was in her office." Reno paused and considered. "Come to think of it, the old lady never did show him her place like I wanted… I got the impression, though, she may have had a bedroom in there somewhere… Spread out around the admin building, check it out for activity, and look for a back entrance. If everything seems quiet, we'll go in."

"Ya know, Reno, there are what, a couple of hundred people living here. If we wake them up and they get hostile, we won't stand much of a chance." Lando, always the nervous one. Gonzo helped keep him calm. Once things got hot, both men were steady—good in a fight.

The corner of Reno's mouth quirked. "Yeah, I know. That's why we brought lots of guns and ammo… Ready?" Both men nodded. "Let's go."

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Vincent and Verdot had headed in the opposite direction from Rude and the clone in the underground complex. Rufus Shinra's orders had been to destroy the "fighters" and let the "Banorans" live. That made anyone who attacked them eligible for termination. With reloaded weapons, the two men had set out in search of a target-rich environment.

"You know, Vince," Verdot stood with his left arm extended around the edge of a wall firing a gun at several clones who shot at them about a hundred feet away down a corridor. "You never told me how Hojo managed to take you prisoner in the first place."

Vincent stood firing with his right arm extended around the edge of the opposite wall of the same corridor, but he didn't answer his friend.

"Really?!" Verdot had long ago perfected the art of carrying on one-half of a conversation when talking to Vincent Valentine. "Well, that must have been some fight! What'd he do? Fill you full of tranqs?"

… Bang!... Cerberus' three barrels went off, loud in the echoing corridor.

"Figured it was something like that." Verdot decided he'd gotten about as much info on _that_ topic as he was going to get. He switched subjects. "Sephiroth's your son, hn? How'd it feel to wake up and find you had grown son?"

… Bang! Bang!...

"Right." One more subject. "The girl, Lucrecia Crescent. Were you in love with her? Why didn't you get in touch with me? _I'd_ have gone with you to Nibelheim. Things could have been different, you know…"

Vincent's head drooped. Yes, they could have been different. He and Verdot _both_ could be wearing claws instead of left hands. Or Verdot could be dead. Either way… "Thanks for being here now…"

Verdot's head rose sharply. Vince had thanked him! That was something new… At that instant, the sound of a gun firing resounded through the corridor, and blood exploded in a fan away from the side of Verdot's head. Verdot's face, with a stricken expression, was thrown upward toward the ceiling, but his body crumbled slowly to the floor.

**A/N—Believe me, there is nothing like having baby! I woke up about 4:30 am and started walking in our house—I just wasn't certain what was happening. My husband got up around 5:30 and asked me what I wanted him to do; he had a 7:30 am meeting scheduled on our local Air Force base. I said go ahead and go—average first labors run 11-17 hours. If I were in labor, I'd be at it a while! When he called at 8:30 to check on me, all I could say was, "Can you come home **_**now**_**?!" I couldn't even dress myself. He did it for me—last time that ever happened. Wearing his sweats to the hospital was **_**not**_** my idea! My suitcase never got in his car, and the video camera never made it out of his trunk. We got to the doctor's office at 9:30, I was in the hospital at 11:00, and our daughter was born at 12:23 pm. Only eight hours labor, but she was eight days late!**

**Oh well... And why am I telling you all this—especially since this is not even a baby-related chapter?!—Angeal Valentine turns 17 today, Saturday, September 27. Happy Birthday, AV! Here's a Turk chapter for you, just as you wanted!**

**(Mothers are **_**so**_** embarrassing!)**


	30. Shock

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

(3:30 am, Mideel--New Banora; 1:30 am, Midgar; 9:30 pm, Gongaga; 5:30 pm, Wutai)

The sound of the gun almost shimmered through the air in the corridor, some detached part of Vincent Valentine's brain noted. While Verdot fell in slow motion, the blood from the left side of his head arced and fanned everywhere and onto everything. Vincent whirled back to the target, his eyes swirling with red and gold, and fired off three blasts of Cerberus' triple barrels. Huge chunks of cement exploded from the walls, and moaning could be heard from the far end of the hall, quickly silenced.

"_VERDOT!!" _Vincent's scream for his friend was mental as well as audible and rang as loud as Cerberus. From far away, a voice echoed Vincent's pain and rang through his mind. He was the cause of this! Vincent had said "thank you" to the one person—the one _friend!_—he'd known for years, and now Verdot's blood was everywhere! Got to save him! Vincent pulled Verdot's body into cover behind the wall. Even up close, Vincent couldn't tell for certain how bad the damage was, though Verdot's eyes seemed intact. Vincent leaned close to his friend's face. Yes, there it was. He could hear air moving through Verdot's mouth—he was still alive, and there was a chance to save him. Vincent took a heal materia from his pocket. Damn it! Glancing at the orb, he instantly disliked it. He held the orb to Verdot's left temple, where most of the damage seemed concentrated. "Cure1." It was the best this piece of materia could hope to do, and its remains slithered away.

"Vi-ince?" Verdot took a shuddering breath, and his right eye slitted open. "Where…? What…?"

"I'm here, man. Don't talk. I can't tell how bad you're hurt." Vincent wiped some of the blood away from the wound. Verdot's hand wrapped around Vincent's wrist and pulled Vincent's hand away from his face.

"Hm… You think _she's_ coming?" Verdot seemed oddly intent.

"Who?" Vincent thought for a second. "Oh. _Our_ daughter? Well, I shouted, and Sephiroth's hearing might have... even…"

A faint smile came to Verdot's lips. "Remember Madame Elizabeth's _proposal_…?"

"Damn. At a time like this…" Vincent almost smiled with relief. "Well, you can't be _dying_ if you're thinking about _that _episode." Vincent groaned slightly as he considered what his friend might be thinking—planning—scheming! "Sweet Shiva! Verdot, you wouldn't!"

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Kamui handed the intricately engraved shotgun to Rufus Shinra. He opened the breach and added two shells to the barrels, closed it, then clicked on the safety. "So… have you considered what you'd like to do on our date?" Something along the lines of "wildly extravagant" was forming in Rufus' mind. Of course, "wildly extravagant" was Rufus' plan for most of his dates… He did realize that this question was rather sudden, even jarringly out of place in their conversation, but he seemed to have run out of things to say that would keep him from taking another left hook to his jaw.

"Well, I haven't had a chance to think about it yet…" Kamui fell silent then lifted a hand and pressed it tightly to the left side of her head. Fear! With a howl of pain, she ran from Rufus toward a corridor opening off the far end of the mako pool landing. Have to get to him!

"… … … …" Rufus stood dumbfounded. "What's got into you?! What's wrong?!"

"It's the Boss! Da-ad!" She called over her shoulder as she rounded the corner. "Hur-ry!"

Rufus Shinra caught some of the girl's fear. He had rarely run after anyone in his life, but he ran after her, and surprised himself.

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"So you're really going to do this?" Vincent questioned his friend.

"She needs… to accept you and Sephiroth… as family… as 'our' family." Verdot's breathing was shallow.

Vincent knew Verdot needed more materia, but at least his life was no longer in danger. Hearing a shout of "Boss!" in the distance, Vincent looked over his shoulder to see a black streak with silver hair put a foot on a wall to change directions then hurtle toward him and Verdot. Trailing the girl was Rufus Shinra, very out of breath.

"Bo-oss!" Kamui suddenly registered the blood on the walls and floor and Vincent Valentine hovering over the body of her adopted father. "Dad?!" She slid to a halt on her knees at her father's side opposite Vincent.

"Kam-mi?" Verdot weakly raised a hand in the girl's general direction. Kamui took his hand and held it in both of hers against her heart. "Kammi, dear." He coughed slightly. "There's something… I've got to tell you…. Where…?" He shook his head slightly. "Dark…" Vincent raised an eyebrow at his friend's suddenly much "weaker" condition, but tried to keep his face "worried" for the sake of his friend's performance.

"S'okay. I'm here, Dad. Don't try to talk." Kamui extended a hand and gently brushed a lock of hair from Verdot's eyes and off his forehead. "Easy, Dad. It's okay."

Verdot's eyes wandered above their heads, and he coughed again. "No… have to say it…" He closed his eyes, and his arm went limp in the girl's hand, but he took a deep breath. "Kamui, you know I found you… in Midgar?"

Kamui nodded her head vigorously. "Yeah, Dad, I remember… Kinda…"

"Well, I found out… just a little while ago… you have to know… before my _time runs out_… Vince here is your father." Kamui gasped, and her eyes locked on Vincent Valentine's face. "You're a clone of his son, General Sephiroth. You've got to promise me…" Verdot coughed weakly again, and Kamui's eyes returned to his face.

"What, Dad? What do I have to _promise_ you?" The girl's voice had gained a slightly suspicious note.

More weak coughing. "Promise me… you'll help Vince and your brother, Sephiroth… You're about to become an aunt, you know… We're all _family_ here…"

"Uh, yeah, Boss, I promise." Kamui's eyes narrowed. "Is _that_ all you wanted, Dad?" She looked up at Vincent. "Or 'Dads,' I guess I should say." Her lips tightened into a straight line, and she shook her head slightly. When she saw his mastered materia dangling from Rufus' hand over her shoulder, Kamui took the orb, tossed it to Vincent, and glared at him. "Are you the quiet guy in my head?" Vincent nodded. "Then _you_ heal him… He's _got_ what he wanted from me." She stood up, stalked away, and muttered to herself.

"What was _that_ all about?" Rufus looked between Verdot, Vincent, and his now growling, silver-haired bodyguard who was walking away throwing her hands in the air, clearly angry.

Vincent applied the materia to Verdot's temple and "Cure2."

As the radiance from the healing disappeared, Verdot opened both eyes, looked directly at Vincent, and sat up. "Think she bought it?"

"Which? Your acting or the idea she's part of our 'family'? She is stubborn like Sephiroth," and Lucrecia, Vincent's mind noted quietly. "Anyway, she promised to _help_ me and Sephiroth when she really didn't want to have anything to do with us. Now she'll have to. It's a beginning, I suppose…" Vincent shook his head at his friend. "Death bed promises, Verdot. Yeah, that was probably the only way you could have got her to accept us. I'd forgotten that was how you got Madame Elizabeth to marry you." Vincent looked away. Maybe _he_ should have tried that technique on Lucrecia…

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"_Sneaky, low down, conniving…"_ Kamui both said the words and threw them mentally in the general direction of her "fathers." She had walked down the hallway and turned the corner moving in the general direction of the pool room. As she walked, she threw her hands about her as if mentally cutting Verdot to ribbons with her swords. "Now that I know the voices are real, gimme a chance to get to know 'em, would ya, Boss?! I may not like 'em, but don't _force_ me into workin' with 'em! Malicious, _manipulative_, scheming, _controlling_…" She moved her hand up as if pulling a sword from her back scabbards, but rather than continuing smoothly over her shoulder, her fist met flesh!

"Ouch!" Kamui spun into a defensive crouch ready for an attack, but Rufus Shinra huddled bent over behind her and held a hand over his nose. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Tha hurs!" Blood welled from between his fingers! She could barely make out what he was saying. "I thin oo bro my no!"

"Oh, no! Rufus! _Crap!_" The girl moved toward Rufus. "Here, throw your head back. You have any more materia?" Rufus nodded slightly and pointed a bloody hand toward a pocket on the left thigh of his Turk night suit. "Just lie on the floor while I fix this." Rufus sank to one knee but didn't lie on the floor; she frowned at him. When the girl reached into his pocket to feel for the materia, Rufus admitted to himself that, even with his blood flowing out of his face, he liked the feel of her hand through his rubberized suit. Kamui pulled a mastered materia orb from Rufus' pocket, nudged his fingers aside so she could hold it along his nose, focused her intent, and "Cure1." Light flared then faded. The thought that he was a rich guy with more mastered materia than anyone could possibly use flitted unkindly through Kamui's mind.

Rufus slowly tilted his head upright. He felt the remainder of the blood flow down his throat, then he took a deep breath. "Well, that was fun… Are you always that _dangerous_ to be around?"

Kamui grimaced; while Rufus might be right that she was dangerous, she wasn't about to answer the question. "Here." She leaned forward and raised a fairly clean napkin that had somehow survived in her pocket from dinner toward Rufus' face, intent on cleaning the blood from his skin. Suddenly eye-level with her chest, Rufus abruptly realized how form-fitting the Turk night suits were! Oh, yes. Hm. He wondered what she looked like under there. Certainly not "well-endowed," but then she was a female version of the General. Rufus reminded himself to go slow—she was pretty young and maybe inexperienced—but he wasn't a man to wait _very_ long for what he wanted… Rufus raised a bloody hand to trail a finger down her side—temptation. "He-ey! Watch it! You're makin' me smear this!"

Rufus raised his eyes to hers and grasped her napkin-wielding hand in his. "Leave it alone for a minute. It's okay." He pulled her hand down and forced the girl to lean closer to him. Seeing his intent, Kamui stiffened just an instant then let him pull her toward him and felt his lips touch hers, tentatively. Once. Again. They kept their eyes open, each wondering about the other, gauging responses, approaches, intentions… When Kamui felt Rufus' tongue seeking entrance, she opened her mouth to him and let him in. Shuffling forward, Kamui finally closed her eyes to enjoy the kiss, let the napkin slip to the floor, and slid her arms around Rufus' head to wind her fingers into his orange hair at the back of his head. Rufus smiled slightly at her reaction. Yeah, this put her breasts right by his head! A little more… He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her closer, then slowly raised a finger to feel the curve of her nipple, all the while picking up the rhythm of his tongue's exploration of her mouth. Good. She didn't pull away, even caught his rhythm, and was beginning to move a hand down his back. Yeah, baby, that's the way. Try this now… Curving his whole hand around her breast, Rufus gently began to knead the soft tissue; he so wanted them out of these suits! At his stroke, Kamui broke the kiss, threw back her head, and arched her back. Clearly she was enjoying his touch and breathing hard with his rhythm. That's it baby, go with it… Rufus looked at her throat; her skin was pale and poreless. Rufus bent his head to the side, kissed her neck, then trailed his tongue along her jaw line. He felt her hair brush his face; so unlike normal _hair_—more like glass filaments. His hand strayed to the globe of her bottom to feel its curve and pull her leg against his erection while his other hand's kneading became more urgent, deeper. Goddess, he wanted her now! But this was progress… Just get her back to Midgar… He was sure now there was a beautiful body in there, just waiting for his exploration. One he'd have to be careful with, too. He hadn't been with many girls who could break his nose without a thought! Rufus pulled back from Kamui's throat, put both arms around her waist, and looked at her. Rufus laughed softly.

"Wha-at?" Kamui opened her eyes at Rufus' laughter and explored his face. "Uh oh…" She laughed softly too. "Everybody's gonna know what _we've_ been up to." Both their faces, and various other portions of their bodies, were smeared with his blood. "Seen any bathrooms around here?"

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(3:30 am, Mideel--Mideel Base; 1:30 am, Midgar; 9:30 pm, Gongaga; 5:30 pm, Wutai)

"Mom-my…? Where are you, Mommy…? An-gel…? Angel, where are you?"

A voice echoed across Tessa's mind as if from miles away… Let me sleep. "Awake" was filled with pain…

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Sephiroth carried Tessa's limp body back to the labor room, laid her on the examining table, covered her with room's single blanket, then stripped off his bloody battle coat (get the damn thing off!) and added its weight to the blanket's. Finally he laid his wing across the length of her body. Oxygen, oxygen. She needed oxygen. He scrutinized the labor room. No oxygen! Dr. Caperton entered the room in a rush.

"She's going into shock, and there's no oxygen in here!" The doctor blanched, turned on his heel, ran out the door, and began shouting orders. In seconds he was back with a mask and oxygen tank. He placed the mask over Tessa's mouth and nose and started the flow of gas.

"Pull back your wing. I need to get to her body to place the fetal monitor on her stomach." With the wing gone, the doctor lifted the blanket and coat and placed the instrument straps on Tessa's abdomen, then replaced the covers. "You can put your wing back over her."

"General?" The door opened slightly, and Cloud's voice could be heard. "There's a nurse here with an, an _I.-V.?"_

Dr. Caperton immediately went to the door, reached around the edge and pulled an I.V. stand with solution into the room, then prepped Tessa's arm for fluids, inserted the needle, and started the saline flow. "She has to be bleeding internally. Damn! I thought I'd caught everything. She was fine just _minutes_ ago." Caperton clipped a temperature and pulse monitor to Tessa's finger and checked the fetal monitor. The baby's heart rate was too fast. Fetal distress!

"Could the contractions have caused her to bleed?"

"Perhaps. At this point I can't rule anything out." The doctor looked at Sephiroth. "We have to stop labor immediately. She and the baby won't survive otherwise. With her already bleeding and badly in need of fluids, I don't want to do a C-section just yet. I'll be right back with the tocolytic. Maybe we can yet give her a chance to heal." The doctor left the room.

"Tessa!" Sephiroth had been dead before—life without Tessa, though... He climbed onto the table next to Tessa and put the blanket, coat, and wing over both of them. Have to get her warm now! Save her, as he'd saved Zack. Warm. Now. Stay with me, Tessa…

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"Mommy? Mommy?! What's wrong, Mommy?!"

Tessa felt herself shaken by a small hand, and her head rolled on her neck. Slowly she opened her eyes. "Where…?" Gradually she focused on a small girl with silver hair pulled back in a pony tail and cat-slit, mako-bright, green eyes. The child's face was filled with concern. Behind the girl was a huge room with white marble floors and walls covered in portraits. Tessa could feel bumps pushing into her back and legs then realized that wooden rails upheld a staircase banister above her head. She was lying on the stairs in the entryway of Valentine Hall!

"Lucy?" Tessa reached a hand to the child's face, but the girl pouted.

"Mommy, I am five years old, and I want to be 'Lucrecia'! It's much better than dumb old 'Lucy'! _Grandfather_ says so!"

"I'm sorry, darling. I'll try to remember, all right?"

"Mommy, where's Angel? I've looked and looked for her…"

"Who? Who was it you were looking for? Angel?" Angel?! Oh no! How could she have forgotten?! Tessa glanced around and tried to sit only to realize she was pregnant—about six months. "Did I fall, sweetheart?"

The child suddenly looked scared. "Un hunh. You told me to put my toys away, but I forgot one on the stairs, and _you fell!_" Lucy burst into tears. "Mommy, are you okay?!"

"I think so, but you'd better bring your father, dear."

"Okay." Lucy hit the floor in a bound, slid across the marble, and jerked on the door to the huge rec room. "Dad-dy! Mom-my wants you!"

Tessa lay back on the stairs mumbling. "Too soon. It's _all_ too soon… Pain… It hurts too much… Too much pain…"

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"_Lucrecia Crescent! Mother! I don't know if I can do this awake! You said… you said you and Angel were watching over us. You have to help us now! There's nothing I can do!"_

_Sephiroth?! What's happened?!_ It was Vincent's mental voice. Sephiroth could see Verdot through Vincent's eyes. Both men were reloading firearms as they stood in a cement-walled corridor. They'd been in a firefight but seemed safe enough for the moment, though there was blood on much of Verdot.

_Vincent, you have to help me! Tessa's gone into shock—she's bleeding internally. If labor doesn't stop, she could die! _

_Help you? Of course! How?_

_When I was dead, I met Mother in the Lifestream!_ Sephiroth heard a mental gasp from Vincent. _She has to get the baby to stop coming. As I understand it, the baby's body initiates labor. _Lucy has to _want_ to not come out!

_You're not making sense._

_No, I'm probably not, but you have to help me pull in Mother's spirit! Call to her! Lucrecia Crescent, you have to help!_

…

_Vincent!! _

_This is insane. She won't answer _me!_ You don't know what happened between us!_

I don't care_ what happened between you!! Who do you think told me about the Fountain of Chaos? She said once we find it _you may understand!_ Does that sound like someone who doesn't care about you?!_

…

_VINCENT!!_

… _Lucrecia… Dearest… _

_You too, 'baby sister.' _You've_ got to call for Mother, too!_

_Who, me?! _

Suddenly Sephiroth caught a picture of Rufus Shinra washing blood from his face in a laboratory sink…_ What happened, anyway? No. Never mind. I don't think I want to know… Yes, you! Arg, aggravating! Call for Lucrecia Crescent! Now!_

_Well, what's she like anyway? I've never met her!_

_Of course not. She's dead._

_Hu-unh?!_

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Sephiroth came into the entryway of Valentine Hall at his daughter's call. He was dressed in padded work-out clothes with the Masamune in his hand. "What is it, sweetheart?" Tessa saw him scoop the child up one-handed into his unencumbered arm.

"Mommy fell." Lucy swung an arm in the general direction of the stairs then squirmed to be set down. She ran to the big outside doors to the front drive and yanked them open. "Angel! Angel, where are you?..." She ran outside.

"What?!" Sephiroth spotted Tessa and was up the stairs at her side with a jump. "Tessa!"

Behind Sephiroth came Zack… and a silver-haired woman, Kamui. Zack seemed broader, thicker, more muscled. Older. The girl's hair was very long—as long as her brother's! Both were covered in sweat, and also wore padded workout clothes and carried swords. They'd been practicing with live steel—again! Trailing them were Vincent Valentine—with no claws on the end of his left arm!—and Verdot. Both men carried pistols in their hands and ear protectors around their necks as if they'd just been shooting.

"Sephiroth!" Tessa sighed. "It's too soon! It hurts…"

Sephiroth laid his hand on her stomach and watched it bounce. "Vincent! Get the car! Zack, call Caperton!"

"Too soon!" Tessa's head rolled to the side, and she closed her eyes.

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Suddenly the air before Sephiroth shimmered. A woman Sephiroth had seen only once before, and never in real life, appeared before him surrounded by sparks. "I know, my son. I'm here." Lucrecia Crescent reached out her hands—one she placed on Sephiroth's head and the other on Tessa's stomach. "Be quiet, Lucrecia, little Lucy. You must let your mother rest. She's very tired. Be quiet and sleep. Wait. Angel is fine. She is here with me. Sleep."

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When Doctor Caperton reentered the room with the loaded syringe on a tray, the sense of panic was gone. The General was asleep on the table with his head next to Tessa's. The temperature and blood pressure monitor showed "normal" readings. Half the saline solution was gone. The fetal monitor showed the baby's heart rate to be normal, and no contractions were showing on the paper printouts. It was as if nothing were wrong… What had happened?! Well… Even if a miracle had occurred—and around the General, Caperton had learned, anything was possible—he would have to examine Dr. Romera thoroughly, in just a little while. The doctor turned off the lights and left the room to let the couple sleep. He could use some sleep himself, but first he needed to check on that prisoner so he could be taken to the brig. The doctor sighed; if there were no rest for the wicked, then he must be evil indeed…

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_Always look on the bright side of life._

_Always look on the right side of life._

_Life is quite absurd, and death's the final word. _

_You must always face the curtain with a bow..._

_Singing? _Vincent shook his head. _No singing allowed!_ His new "daughter" was going to take some getting used to… Seemed she liked to sing absurdities…

'_Allowed'? Don't you mean 'aloud'?! You should try it sometime! _Vincent rather thought she was also tap dancing… … …Damn. Catchy tune…

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(3:30 am, Mideel--Apple Town; 1:30 am, Midgar; 9:30 pm, Gongaga; 5:30 pm, Wutai)

Reno glanced at his watch and lit its face briefly to check the time. There had been no resistance, no alarms, at their entry into the Apple Town administration building. That was the problem, wasn't it? It had been _too _easy. Something was making the skin between Reno's shoulder blades itch. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Lando and Gonzo were going through the secretary's station. Reno had already checked the area for traps and opened a pair of locks. No problems there at all… Reno had just received a call from Tseng that a truck from Mideel Base was near. In minutes his back-up would be here. They could load the files and computers into the truck and be gone in, maybe twenty minutes. Excellent. Out of here shortly.

As he stood at the door between the reception room and Lynette Hiland's office, Reno's unease increased. Something was wrong. It wasn't Hiland's office though; the lady had good taste. Two heavy, overstuffed chairs stood before a hardwood, very executive, desk in front of a large picture window; the scene outside was only faintly illuminated by the moon. The walls were lined with tastefully filled bookcases, though the sight was rather oppressive at night. Reno knew he'd have to check all the bookcases soon, but he wanted to start with the desk. He walked behind it, sat in the dark, padded chair, and briefly shown his small flashlight along the desk's surfaces and edges. Nothing obvious—normal desk stuff, though too neat and tidy for Reno's taste. A small laptop computer lay closed near his left hand. Nice and convenient. Easily portable. Better make sure it didn't get lost in the coming shuffle… Turning off the light, Reno ran his fingers along the edges of the desk's surface and let them feel for locks or traps that his eyes couldn't see. Hm. Again nothing. Suddenly a slight noise came to Reno from his left, near the corner of the room. Reno jerked his head in its direction. Damn. It seemed he'd waited too long to check the bookcases…

"Well, well, Mr. Sinclair… This time I'll make sure you're disposed of, personally…" A bookcase had rotated, and Lynette Hiland, again with pistol in hand, had the drop on him. Reno knew he couldn't be around the desk before she could kill him. He was surprised that even in the darkness he could tell Vanessa-0's face was unlined, "unweathered." Although she'd been "aged," she hadn't lived the years of the original Lynette Hiland, dead in the ground in Banora. "Good-bye, Mr. Sinclair." The sound of gunfire filled the room.

**A/N—The song lyric is from Monty Python's **_**Life of Brian**_** and also **_**Spamalot**_**—AV found the Holy Grail at **_**Spamalot**_** with Bjanik!**

**A/N—There's a saying that trouble comes in threes: first, about three weeks ago, my mother-in-law fell, broke her hip, and had hip-replacement surgery; second, my father had a seizure associated with his advanced Alzheimer's and was hospitalized; third, my mother-in-law was found to have lung cancer that has spread to her liver and an adrenal gland. Our family will be spending this coming week in the Midwest with her as she begins chemotherapy. If you include my mother's heart bypass surgery last summer, we may be up to four! Anyway, I don't know about postings for a while, so please bear with me; after mom's surgery, I had a burst of inspiration that lead to much of the Wutai plotline. Here's hoping for their speedy recoveries and the appearance of herds of plot bunnies (is there a term for a group of bunnies?). Thanks for reading! **


	31. More Pieces

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—I'm back from our trip to the Midwest to visit my in-laws. There's no good news to report regarding my mother-in-law's condition, and, though she's feeling well, her prognosis is unchanged. **

**While the plot bunnies did not return, I did have a chance to review what I've written and make a few changes here and there, most notably in Chapter 25. I had forgotten that after her fights with Genesis and Argento, Kamui's clothes were badly ripped, and therefore Rufus should have particularly enjoyed himself in Chapter 30. If you get a chance, you might read the revised Chapter 25 where Rufus gets Reno to "back off." Anyway, the review also made me realize I needed another chapter at 4:00 am Mideel time—I had loose ends and characters I needed to move—before I could get back to Sephiroth and co. I'm sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. Something about it didn't want me to write it—I don't understand that myself. **

(6:00-6:30 pm, Wutai; 4:00-4:30 am, Mideel; 2:00-2:30 am, Midgar; 10:00-10:30 pm, Gongaga)

"Carlos! Did you just say what I _think_ you said? Repeat!" Although it was after 6:00 in the evening in Wutai, Carlos Griegos winced at Gavin McIntyre's 2:00 am tone coming through the real-time communication system from Midgar. Only Soldier had planet-wide, real-time communications capability—only Soldier and those individuals the General permitted to have access to it, that is. McIntyre's second must have rousted him out of bed after hearing Griegos' initial report; something about McIntyre's mustache was uneven, and his eyes were a bit unfocused. McIntyre was a well known morning person; he always insisted he needed his "beauty sleep."

"Sorry, Gavin. Which part?" Griegos knew which part, but something in his nature just wanted to ruffle McIntyre's feathers.

"Grrr… 'which part'?! Are you a _comedian_ now, Carlos?" Yes. That had certainly ruffled Gavin's feathers.

"Sorry. I know what you mean." Griegos paused then started over. "Bill and I have interrogated our Wutai prisoners. Gavin, the man we captured is _not_ Emperor Godo but his body double… As far as the base goes, we're status quo. Are there any projections as to when…?"

"Carlos, that's enough!" McIntyre paused and stared at Griegos, his eyebrows knit in anger. "You _know_ I have to patch you through to Malik in Mideel, don't you? We have to get word of this to Seph immediately! That is, _if _Mideel Base can even _reach_ our people…"

Griegos sighed; he knew it, too. "I know you have to do it… Any word on what's happening on Mideel?"

"Nothing recent. All I know is that Seph took Zack, Niven, and several lower ranks with him to Mideel Island. He was planning on picking up some reinforcements from Malik on the way." McIntyre looked intently into the monitor as if emphasizing his next point. "Seph was expecting to confront _Genesis Rhapsodos_—probably sometime tonight—though we've had no word from Mideel. There is evidence that Genesis had Seph's wife kidnapped. The Turks are still following up on _that_ here."

"What?!" Griegos and Bill Wallace chorused and exchanged looks of concern.

Wallace mouthed, 'Genesis?!' and both his eyebrows went up. "Can Genesis really be alive?! Seph could be in for a helluva fight! How about Marcus and Nathan? Where are they? Surely the General took _them_ with him!"

McIntyre shook his head with a quick jerk. "No, Bill. They were sent out almost a week ago—before any of the rest of this happened—to deal with monsters at Reactor 20, and other than sending Britton and Alars to reinforce them and Bilson, there's been no word since."

"Sweet Shiva! That's got to be a helluva fight _too_ if all those guys can't handle it!" Bill Wallace had been a classmate of Nathan Grainger's; he felt like he needed to rush to his friend's aid—his hands itched for his sword. For Griegos, however, it was almost good to hear about other people's problems for a change; it let Griegos' mind work in new, unfamiliar paths for a few minutes. He knew his brain was stuck running over his own problems; now that the whole attack on Tenshin Palace had turned out to have been a nearly worthless exercise, Griegos felt drained. Sleep. He definitely needed sleep—and lots of it.

Gavin McIntyre shook his head slowly. "I don't think you gentlemen quite comprehend how _thin_ we are. At _every_ reactor world-wide there have been monster attacks. We sent some of our best people to Reactor 20. Shortly _thereafter_ monsters attacked every other reactor, and Wutai went up in flames. It's a coordinated action by our enemies. I'm betting Genesis is behind it all."

Both men in Wutai nodded their agreement. Wallace looked at his commander. "I wouldn't want to be Genesis with Seph after me though."

"Agreed, but Genesis has always been a tricky devil… When you fought him, he always kept you off balance. You just knew he would have something up his sleeve." Griegos rubbed his upper right arm. Even now an old wound, courtesy of Genesis Rhapsodos, ached on occasion—like now.

"Yes, he's tricky, and right now he's got us dancing to _his_ tune." McIntyre looked back at the monitor. "By concentrating our forces at Rocket Town for the invasion of Wutai, we've been forced to send out teams lead by one or two Soldiers, sometimes not even second classes, to put down the monster attacks! We're beginning to turn the tide at some of the reactors, but we've lost a lot of _good young people_." McIntyre sighed and looked away from the monitor. His own beloved Thom was losing classmates right and left, and Thom's losses were weighing on Gavin. "Even here, I have just a handful of Soldiers, a few Turks and security people, and some regular army grunts to defend headquarters. We know Genesis and Hollander were here in Midgar as recently as a _month_ ago. If we're attacked in force, I dread to think." He looked back at his counterparts eight time zones behind him. "Carlos, we need to get the Wutai situation straightened out ASAP. I don't see how that can happen any time soon if you really _didn't _capture the emperor."

Griegos and Wallace exchanged troubled looks. "I see what you mean…" Griegos sighed and indicated his reluctance. "Go ahead, Gavin, patch us on to Mideel Base. We'll see what Seph has to say."

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(4:00-4:30 am, Mideel – Banora; 2:00-2:30 am, Midgar; 10:00-10:30 pm, Gongaga; 6:00-6:30 pm, Wutai)

Zack Fair and Alex Niven had walked the battleground a half dozen times. Everywhere bodies were sparkling, and tiny bits of dancing lights were evaporating into the Lifestream. Zack always hated this period after a battle; there was an eerie beauty to the dancing green lights that belied the violence of the fighting. While the bodies would dissolve into green sparks, surreal, grotesque splashes of blood often lingered for days leaving the ground and plants dangerous footing for any future fighting. He shook his head. Apparently the Lifestream had a perverse sense of humor. It took back "real" people and "cloned" people the same. Maybe there really wasn't any difference.

Zack and Niven had spread their people out broadly across the battleground to keep watch on the surface exits. The clone grunts had proven to be no match for the sword-wielding Soldiers. There had been a few good fights with the blue-skinned and winged monsters, but none of them were left on the battlefield. Zack wondered briefly if perhaps any of them had gotten away. Monster hunting might be a possibility—that could be fun—after some sleep though!

It had been an incredibly weird night for Zack. For a few minutes Sephiroth had been dead. Dead! Somewhere deep inside Zack there was a wrenching pain that hadn't been assuaged by Seph's return to life. Seph had issued orders for Zack to remain behind while he took Tess to the hospital. To Zack it felt like he was losing the man he loved to that man's wife and child. Rats! Maybe he really was an intruder in their marriage! Damn it, Zack! I thought you were done being jealous. You know he loves you—_both of them_ love you! It just felt like he was being left behind—again.

Zack paused in his rounds. Perhaps it had something to do with seeing Angeal again. Zack wanted to kick himself about that. He _knew_ the clone hadn't been Angeal, but just seeing something that looked, and sounded, and moved like Angeal had thrown Zack for a loop. At least he hadn't had to kill the Angeal clone. Cloud had taken care of that.

"Zack. What's wrong?" Alex had taken a salute from a third class, but it was really Zack's job to do that. "You okay?"

"Hm?" Zack turned to Niven, but Alex could tell Zack wasn't seeing him. Zack swayed from side to side, and his lips quivered as if he were trying to speak. Niven didn't think Zack had taken a hit; he hadn't lost blood for shock to be setting in.

"Zack? You're weaving. Sit down." As if in response to Niven's words, Zack's eyes rolled up in his head, his knees gave out, and Zack collapsed, his skin a sick shade of green in the veiled moonlight. Niven caught Zack before he hit the ground, and, as he lowered his friend, Niven watched green sparks burst in the whites of Zack's eyes before Zack's eyelids closed. Reflection? No… "Damn it, Zack!"

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(4:00-4:30 am, Mideel – Apple Town; 2:00-2:30 am, Midgar; 10:00-10:30 pm, Gongaga; 6:00-6:30 pm, Wutai)

"_Well, well,_ _Mr. Sinclair_… This time I'll make sure you're disposed of, personally…" A bookcase had rotated, and Lynette Hiland, again with pistol in hand, had the drop on Reno. "Good-bye, Mr. Sinclair." The sound of gunfire filled the room.

Reno, sitting at Hiland's desk, watched as the bullet spun through the air toward him. It glinted in the moonlight and sent out rippling shock waves. Wow. It was amazing that he could watch that deadly piece of lead coming toward his heart. He felt the bullet's point pierce his black Turk suit, then his skin, graze his collar bone, and divert back into his shoulder. How about that, yo? Her aim was a little off; she missed my heart! Bullet's going to make a mess of my shoulder for a while, though. Hope somebody's got materia on 'em. Really _good_ materia!

Reno felt himself be thrown against the chair back, his neck snapped until his head hit the headrest, then he slowly fell forward, watched as the blotter grew toward his face, and felt his head hit the green felt. Ow! Face plant. Next the shoulder landed on the desk as well. More pain. Get her guys…

Bang!

Another shot? What?! That was quick, fellas…

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(4:00-4:30 am, Mideel – New Banora; 2:00-2:30 am, Midgar; 10:00-10:30 pm, Gongaga; 6:00-6:30 pm, Wutai)

"Some set-up." Rude turned to Vanessa-7. Together the couple had carried the box of disposal solution bottles from Hollander's rolling office chair in the hallway into a large room just off the mako pool room and near Lynette Hiland's monitor-filled office that Vanessa-7 had identified as the tube control room. The walls were covered with small instruments showing heart rates and body temperatures with condition settings for room after room of tubes throughout New Banora. At each instrument was an inlet pipe to give access for chemicals to the tubes in that particular room as well as a small clipboard hanging from a hook with records as to the room's experimental conditions. A small wheeled table topped with bits of paper and a few pens was the only free-roaming object in the room, though a round metallic lidded trash can stood in a corner. A dispensing box occupied a lower shelf on the table.

"Hm, yes. Dr. Hollander didn't like to have to go to all the rooms and put chemicals into each tube, so he set up this place. That way he could do whole rooms of tubes at once. I heard he used to run the older Vanessas ragged moving bottles from room to room." Vanessa-7 raised a hand and pointed to signs above several columns of monitors. "These stacks are Banorans: Johns, Williams, Cynthias,… We'll have to wake them up and get them out." She gasped. "There are even a few _Vanessas!"_ She paused, suddenly seemed sad, and looked at the floor, almost crying.

"Seven? What is it?" Rude stood behind Vanessa-7 and put his hand and prosthetic on her upper arms. He wasn't sure if the metal of his left "arm" was in any way comforting, but he hoped it helped.

Vanessa-7 stifled a sob. "I didn't know Dr. Hollander was making _more _of us! He said he had _too_ _many_ Vanessas. I wonder _which_ of us he was going to dispose of… And these're just _babies!"_

"Seven! Easy, honey. It's okay. Just remember—thanks to you, no Banoran will be disposed of." Rude paused. "Come on, which rooms have monsters?" He could feel the girl shaking under his hand.

Vanessa-7 took a shuddering breath and seemed to pull herself together. "Over here." To the right of the Banorans and above more identical monitors, were a few numbered signs reading "Angeal" and many reading "Genesis." Similar signs were above the monitors on the other walls as well. "All of these have fighters, or monsters…" Rude started; no wonder they'd brought so many bottles! Many of the monitors, however, had null readings—presumably these were rooms that had been emptied of their occupants. "We'll need to feed two bottles of disposal solution into each tube." She turned to Rude and looked at him squarely. "Be really careful. Don't let _any_ of the solution drip or touch you and be sure to screw the caps on tight before you open another bottle… Here, watch." She pulled on a pair of heavy rubber gloves from the box on the rolling table, unscrewed a bottle cap, flipped open a lid on a pipe, and carefully tilted the bottle to pour the solution. She gradually lowered the bottle toward the pipe and then fitted it into the pipe's flared opening and released the bottle to continue to pour its contents into the pipe on its own. When the bottle was nearly emptied, she tilted it upward to drain the last of the solution. Vanessa-7 lifted the bottle up out of the pipe, watched the last few drops of solution fall, then carefully raised the cap up to the bottle neck and refitted it without rotating the bottle upright. "There." She looked at Rude. He suddenly found he could breathe again—he hadn't known he'd been holding his breath. "Got it?" He raised his eyebrows and nodded jerkily. "Two bottles for each room with heartbeats. Okay? There's flowing mako in the pipes that will wash the solution to the tubes."

"Ri-ight."

"We'll have to wake up the Banorans too. I want to find the other Vanessas first though. I'll need them to help me talk to the Johns and Williams and Cynthias, and everybody. We all have new lives to start…"

"Can you 'wake them up' from here?"

"Yeah, but it'll take a while. Remember how your friend, Dr. Romera, woke up? About the same process…"

"Hm. Then we need to hurry. I imagine Tseng wants us out of here soon."

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(4:00-4:30 am, Mideel – Apple Town; 2:00-2:30 am, Midgar; 10:00-10:30 pm, Gongaga; 6:00-6:30 pm, Wutai)

Lynette Hiland crumbled to her knees, a look of shock on her face. The automatic dropped from her hand to the carpet. Half turning, the white-haired woman looked over her shoulder before continuing her fall to the floor. In the bookcase entrance, stood her secretary, the strawberry-blond Vanessa-1. "_I _should have been the one, Zero!" Smoke from a pistol rose about Vanessa-1's hand, dark spirals in the moonlight. "_He should have chosen me!_ I loved him more than _you_ ever could!"

As Vanessa-1 turned back to the passageway to run, Landers and Gonzales entered the room in a rush. Landers spotted the escaping woman and ran after her. Gonzales narrowly missed stepping on the body on the floor before sprinting around the desk and pulling a materia orb from a pocket. "Reno!"

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(4:00-4:30 am, Mideel – New Banora; 2:00-2:30 am, Midgar; 10:00-10:30 pm, Gongaga; 6:00-6:30 pm, Wutai)

"Yes, exactly. I want everyone out ASAP." Tseng came up behind Rude who hadn't heard him enter the room from the doorway behind him. Tseng had listened to most of Rude and Vanessa-7's discussion. "Go ahead and start the 'wake-up' process, then find your 'Vanessas.' If it's going to take time to get the Banorans out of here, then get going. I want _everyone_ out of here quickly, then I want the exits sealed—permanently."

Vanessa-7 started. "Yes sir!" She dashed across the room, paused to dispose of the bottle in the trash can, ripped off the gloves turning them inside out, and started turning control knobs for the Banoran rooms.

"Commander, I'd better go with her." Rude approached Tseng. "Did you happen to see how to empty those solution bottles?"

"Yes. I can handle it. I'll pull a couple of people in to help, too." Tseng paused and smiled slightly. "It'll be more useful than waiting for reports to come in, and I can do it while I contact our people to start the evacuation process. I think we've got what we came for, after all." Tseng stopped and looked over to the madly knob-turning clone. "Vanessa-7, is there a loud-speaker system that can reach through this facility?"

Rude saw Seven jump and look a bit scared over her shoulder at the Turk commander. "Yes." She squeaked.

"Good. I want to make a general announcement to all remaining clones to give them a chance to surrender." Tseng paused, and his eyebrows knit. "In fact, I want _you_ to make the announcement. There might be a better chance of surrender if the clones hear a Banoran voice. Agreed?"

Vanessa-7 slowly nodded her head. "It could help. Okay!" While her response had not been her normal bright, "OK!" Rude found he was proud of her. It seemed Seven would do whatever it took to save as many of the clones as she could. She couldn't save all the clones, though, and he hoped she wouldn't regret that later. Rude chided himself for just a second. Time to start thinking of them as "people" rather than as "clones," he supposed. Seven had his respect, and so should her people. Yeah.

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Niven had slowly lowered Zack to the ground, adjusting his grip several times as Zack had become "dead weight." Nuts. Don't even consider that possibility! Niven placed Zack's body on the ground and knelt beside him, pulled off a battle glove, and felt Zack's forehead with the back of his hand. Zack's greenish skin was clammy.

Niven had never heard of a case where Antidote had not completely cured a Bio spell. He hoped this wasn't something new, but then Genesis _had_ used a spell they'd never seen! Nuts—this _could_ be something new! Niven pressed a finger to Zack's throat and checked his pulse; Zack's heart was racing! He pulled out a syringe of Antidote, ripped open the attached antiseptic swab and wiped Zack's bare upper arm, injected the Antidote, then wiped the injection site a second time and applied a bandage. Niven rather suspected that if one dose of Antidote hadn't saved Zack's life then a second dose wouldn't do much better, but he breathed deep and counted slowly to ten to give the Antidote a chance to get into Zack's bloodstream. Lifting an eyelid, Niven checked again for those green bursts he'd seen earlier. They were still there, but fewer and slower. "Damn it, Zack!" Checking Zack's pulse again, Niven found that Zack's heart rate had slowed, but was still faster than normal. The Antidote had helped, but Zack wasn't coming around! Lacking other alternatives, Niven pulled out a piece of materia. He focused his intent, then spread his hands wide roughly dividing Zack's body into thirds in order to generalize his spell for a full-body result, "Cure2."

"Major?" One of Malik's people had approached. "The trucks from the base are on their way in."

"About time!" Niven groused at the fellow. He knew it was anxiety, but they were all tired. Niven ran a hand through his short, spiky brown hair and sank back on his heels. "Find that Turk medic. Get him over here, and tell him I want a casualty report now!"

"Yes, sir!"

At the man's departure, Niven flipped open his PHS. "Commander Tseng? The trucks have arrived."

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"What are you doing?" Rufus Shinra and his bodyguard entered the control room as Vanessa-7 completed her efforts to awaken the Banoran clones. With a nod to Tseng, Rude and Vanessa-7 left the room in search of the other Vanessas.

"Sir, we need to talk… and if you don't mind, please give me a hand with this." At Rufus' nod of assent, Tseng pointed to the heavy rubber gloves on the rolling table. "We're disposing of the remaining fighting clones. I didn't want that 'girl' with Rude to have to do this. She's been a big help—too big to have to kill her fellow clones." Tseng found that he liked Vanessa-7's innocent quality, and Rude probably liked it too. Rude deserved a little 'innocence' after having to put up with Reno. "She was very specific about how to handle these chemicals, so watch how I do this, but put it only in pipes marked 'Angeal' and 'Genesis.'"

"Yeah. Okay." Rufus and Kamui watched carefully, then joined Tseng in dispensing the disposal solution.

"Sir. By agreeing to let the clones live, the company will have to be responsible for their welfare, at least temporarily. Is that agreeable with you?" Tseng needed this answer from Rufus. It would determine Tseng's priorities and orders for the next few hours.

"I know. I've already thought of that." Rufus raised an emptied bottle, capped it, then turned to dispose of it in the trash can. "After all, this whole place was my father's idea. In a way Shinra's _been_ responsible for it—and them—from the beginning."

"Rude and Vanessa-7 have gone to find her fellow Vanessas then meet the Banorans. What do you want to do with them once they're awake? After all, if this place is sealed, they can't very well stay here."

Rufus sighed thoughtfully. "I suppose we'll need to transport them to Apple Town yet tonight. You'd better contact the Soldiers and let them know, so they don't all pile into the trucks when they get here." Rufus glanced at Kamui, _his own Sephiroth clone_; she was watching him intently—judging him by his treatment of the clones. "You know, my father left Apple Town five million gil in his will. I suppose that money could be used for housing the Banorans, get them started. I could authorize even more money if it became necessary. I suppose Shinra's just gone into the apple business. I will have to leave someone in charge of Apple Town. Could you spare Rude as liaison for a few weeks? Maybe let him work some things out with that clone that's running around with him."

Kamui paused in her solution pouring and raised a silver eyebrow at Rufus' plan. She hadn't expected him to accept responsibility for the situation. Maybe he wasn't _quite_ the playboy she had thought him to be. He _might_ be worth getting to know; after all he was a good kisser even if he was a little too "handsy" for her taste. She could always beat him to a bloody pulp, if she needed to, she supposed. She gave Rufus a slight smile. Startled, Rufus smiled back. Oops, almost missed a drop. He paused. Yeah. She had liked that decision. Good job.

Tseng carefully avoided noticing the pair's exchange and nodded. "I need Rude in Midgar, but it seems he may be needed even more here." Tseng paused. "I've already heard from Major Niven. The trucks are here. I'll contact Niven and have him make sure the Soldiers crowd into the RVs with us and leave the trucks for the Banorans. I'll also have to be sure to get all the records onto the RVs; wouldn't want to lose them after all we've been through to get them. There is a problem, however. It seems Lt. Col. Fair was probably poisoned earlier tonight in addition to being the victim of a Bio spell. Niven is extremely worried about him and wants to get him to Mideel Base ASAP.

"I see. Since that's the case, go ahead and contact all your people, Tseng, and let's get out of here."

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Verdot closed his PHS and turned to his friend, Vincent Valentine. They'd been heavily engaged in a running firefight through the New Banoran corridors leap-frogging with a pair of Turks they'd come across. "Tseng's just given the evacuation order. You ready?" Vincent nodded. "On three: one… two… three!"

Vincent fired off all three barrels of Cerberus in one blast then both men turned and ran back the corridor down which they'd been pushing the fighting clones. As they ran, they were covered by the second pair of Turks. Taking cover and letting the seconds fall back, Vincent and Verdot turned their attention again to shooting at the now advancing clones. Once again when Vincent was occupied with something else, Chaos kicked his brain.

_**Soon.**_

…_What…?! _

_**I said, 'soon.' You wanted to be **_**warned.**_** Remember?**_


	32. Word from Wutai

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Bjanik questioned how I could say that the plot bunnies had deserted me when Chapter 31 was my normal seven pages/5000 words long. It was the normal length yes, but it took me three times as long as normal to write it! From here, the Wutai elements are largely written, but the other story arcs have to catch up too!**

(4:30 am, Mideel—Mideel Base; 2:30 am, Midgar; 10:30 pm, Gongaga; 6:30 pm, Wutai)

Sephiroth's body jerked. Sound? DARK!! Not floating! Where?! A body in his arms—Tessa!—but where? Not their bed—a hard surface… A table? A lab table?! Hojo?! Bastard!!

Sephiroth was instantly up, his hands searching for weapons. The wing was out too! He swept the room with it and collided with something. Smash it—away from Tessa! A squeak—a voice?—came from the something. Kill it! Sephiroth wrapped his hands around a throat and squeezed.

"Jeh…?" A voice squeaked again. "Plee…!" The body of the neck under Sephiroth's hands didn't attempt to fight but rather held still.

Familiar. The voice was… Sephiroth's head jerked. Friend? Memory came flooding back. Mideel Base hospital. _That's_ where they'd been! Tessa?! The baby? That's right. "Caperton?!" The head attached to the neck nodded emphatically. "Sorry. I shouldn't have fallen asleep." Sephiroth relaxed his stranglehold. "What… time is it?"

Dr. Caperton squeaked out, "it's all right," then he rubbed his throat. "No harm done." His voice returned to its normal register. "It's about 4:30. You've only been asleep about an hour… I'm sorry too. I should have turned on a light…" The doctor reached for the handle on the hallway door to let in a bit of light, then used that light to locate the switch of an under-cabinet lamp. "Working mainly with soon-to-be mothers, I'd forgotten that combat veterans sometimes wake up like that."

While his wing slid back into his body, Sephiroth moved to the table and took Tessa's face between his hands. Her skin was warmer, and her color was better, but the lamp's light threw ominous shadows across her face. Somehow she had remained asleep through the previous few moments.

"General, Col. Malik has sent a car and requested that you come to the communications center near the middle of the base. He says it's important; there's news from Wutai."

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Tessa stirred under Sephiroth's hands and sighed. She twisted about and slitted open an aqua eye. There. So close. "Hi." She lifted the hand nearest her husband and laid its back against his cheek. She loved waking up and seeing him looking at her.

"Hi, yourself." Sephiroth gave her his soft smile, the one that came out only for her and Zack. "How do you feel?"

Dr. Caperton had expected a response from the General to his news of Col. Malik's request, but instead the couple had entered their own world. He knew when to disappear; he quietly left the room. Give them a few minutes.

Tessa's eyes left Sephiroth's face and concentrated on her body. "I feel better! I'm certainly not as queasy or dizzy as I was… This is your coat, though, on me… and fetal monitor straps?" She paused and could feel the weight of broad sensors across her stomach. "What happened?"

"Hm. Yes. What _did_ happen…?" Sephiroth paused and considered how much to tell her. "You were bleeding internally and went into shock. See, the oxygen tank is there, and the I.V.'s still in your arm." He looked at the equipment on the other side of the table from him, and her eyes followed his lead. "Everything seems to be fine now, though."

Tessa turned her head back to her husband. She suddenly realized that he was standing next to her clad only in his pants and kisori. With his body back-lit only by the cabinet lamp, she hadn't initially noticed the remains of several cuts from his fight with that ex-Soldier, Rhapsodos, until now. "Are you all right?" She sat up, and her fingers reached for the cut in his side. It was healing with Sephiroth's natural abilities, but the edges still looked raw and angry. Tessa wished for materia to speed the process, but hospitals rarely had much materia, though a military hospital might have more than normal. Next she reached around his head to lightly touch the tip of the ear that was missing. "Oh no…"

Sephiroth took the wandering fingers in his hand. "I'm all right," he insisted firmly, "and, what's more important, you and the baby are too. I'm sure Lucy is going to stay right where she belongs and come out only when she's ready—about three months from now."

Tessa shook her head. "What? How can you know that?" She tilted her head at him in a question. "Do you mean that whatever it was you were going to do to stop labor… worked?"

Sephiroth laughed softly and smiled again. "It seems to have… Minor miracle, I suppose."

"I think I want test results to confirm that _before_ I believe in a miracle."

"Incredulous scientist…" Sephiroth chuckled. As much as he wished to stay, however, he _had_ heard Caperton's words. He needed to leave, and he frowned.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Tessa caught his frown, and it worried her.

"Just before you woke up, Caperton delivered a message from Malik. It seems that there's important news from Wutai. I need to go to the communications center."

Tessa nodded, and her lips tightened into a line. Work was intruding, and he had said would he need to go the Mideel Base communications center when they had been on the RV. "You did say that a rebellion had started in Wutai, and you needed to lead the army. You can't be in two places at once." She looked into her husband's green eyes intently. He wasn't going to like what she was about to say. "Promise me you'll take me with you when you leave."

"What?! Tessa, I am going into a war zone. I can't take you with me, much less the baby!" What was she thinking?

"Maybe not all the way to Wutai, but you did say earlier you were going to Rocket Town first, right? At least take me that far."

Sephiroth nodded slowly. Rocket Town might actually be safer than Midgar, though he wasn't sure about the quality of its hospital's maternity facilities in case Lucy changed her mind again. "All right. I guess you could go that far. I'll need to leave soon, though, as in just a couple of hours. I'm sure Caperton wants to examine you. Are you ready to see him?"

Tessa nodded. "In a minute." The hand that Sephiroth had grasped escaped his fingers and reached behind his neck to pull his head to her. Their kiss was tentative at first, just a touch of the lips, then turned passionate. From somewhere energy was pouring in.

Sephiroth pulled back with a sigh. "Wasn't this how we got in this situation in the first place?"

"Hm. Let me think." Tessa paused, and Sephiroth could see a mischievous spark leap in her eyes. She glanced at the ceiling. "As I recall, we'd been out to Vincent's place. When we got home, we were cleaning the kitchen after dinner when _you_ pinned _me_ against the counter. Yes. That was it." She nodded with a satisfied look on her face.

"Oh. I see. My fault… Hm." Sephiroth looked intently into her eyes waiting for her reaction. "So you _are_ blaming me about Angel."

"WHAT!" Aghast, Tessa leaned back and shook her head slowly in disbelief. "No. Not possible!" Tears welled in her eyes. How could she have not realized that Sephiroth would be blaming himself for the baby's death! He'd probably been beating himself up about it for days… without her… "You're not to blame! How could you possibly believe that?" She watched, shocked, as a teardrop, like a dream spark, caught her attention and landed on her hand. "If there's blame… sex for pregnant women in the second trimester is _incredible_. We're constantly semi-aroused. I wanted you badly. I'm not sure I could have stopped myself… Even now, with everything that's happened, I want…"

Sephiroth leaned forward and touched her lips softly with his. "The thing about war is, you put off mourning the dead until you have time, but not mourning nags at you and drags you down... We've been so intent on saving Lucy, we haven't had a chance to mourn Angel, and we have to. I know she's in the Lifestream, but she'll never have a chance to grow up with us, with Lucy…" When she didn't respond, Sephiroth snaked an arm around Tessa's shoulders. He then looked at her closely. "I don't say this sort of thing very often, but… Tessa, going into a war zone is incredibly dangerous, so no matter what happens, I want you to know_ I love you with every fiber of my being."_

Tessa smiled gently. For Sephiroth to try and express his feelings was heart-warming in itself. "I love you too." She pushed her fingers to the webbings through his hair at the back of his head and leaned her forehead against his. "Come back to me! You have to come back! I'm counting on Zack to keep you safe for me… for us." Her fingers fisted in his hair. He was going. She knew it and everything in her nature wanted to stop him. Suddenly a knock came from the door. Tessa shook her head rubbing her forehead against his. No! Tears welled again, and she felt his arm tighten around her.

Muffled words came through the door. "General, Col. Malik has called again."

"Just a minute!" Sephiroth released his wife, straightened, and walked to the door opening it narrowly. "Caperton?"

The doctor stood in the hallway with a gurney behind him and a dazed-looking Cloud at his side. The kid was beginning to fall asleep on his feet. Better not. "General, I'm sorry to interrupt you." He glanced behind him. "I'd like to move Tessa to another room where she'll be more comfortable. I'll examine her while you're gone. I don't imagine you'll be gone long."

Sephiroth nodded, opened the door wider, and walked back to Tessa's side. "Did you hear?"

"Yes. Like I said—I'd like some test results, so this is just as well, I suppose." Tessa wiped her eyes furiously on the thin blanket, the I.V. tubing rattling against the stand as she did so.

Dr. Caperton stepped into the doorway, and Sephiroth turned his head. "Where will you be moving her?"

"Room 220. It's a private room one floor down just off the elevators and stairs."

Sephiroth nodded. "I want to see it. Stay with her." Entering the hallway Sephiroth looked at Cloud. "Come with me, Soldier." Behind him Caperton pulled the gurney to the labor room to begin moving Tessa.

At the 'Soldier' designation, Cloud jumped. "Yes, sir!" Cloud followed the General down the hall and then down some stairs watching the man's hair sway gently as he walked. Cloud wondered briefly if his own hair would move like that too if he let it grow long. Very few Soldiers had long hair. Probably got caught in swords. Long hair—maybe not a good idea, at least not for him.

At the door to room 220 Sephiroth glanced around. The room had a large window, maybe too large, comprising most of the opposite wall with a broad, cushioned, built-in bench long enough for sleeping before it. In addition to the standard-issue hospital bed, a table, visitor chair, and a comfortable looking lounge chair fitted with hospital-bed-style call button panels and monitor connections furnished the room. A sink, supply cabinet, and television near the ceiling occupied one corner. One wall proved to contain a small closet for personal items, and a door leading into a bathroom with a shower. Sephiroth walked across the room and looked out the window to the ground. It overlooked an internal courtyard completely surrounded on all sides by the high walls of the hospital and open only to the sky. Not bad as defensive positions went.

Sephiroth turned to the young Soldier following him. "Strife, I'm needed across the base, and while I'm gone you're responsible for my wife's safety." A look of near panic swept across Cloud's face. Good. The kid realized the weight of his situation. "Dr. Caperton will be examining her. After that, I want you stay _in_ the room with her. She'll probably fall asleep. Make sure _you_ don't until I get back. Understood?"

"Sir!" Cloud snapped to attention and pulled his eyes open wide. "Yes, sir!"

"I won't be gone long. Don't open the door to anyone but me or Caperton. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Now, get back to her room." Cloud turned smartly on his heel, and Sephiroth opened his PHS. "Malik, I'm hereby ordering a general video teleconference of all base commanders. Have it ready when I arrive. I'll be there shortly." He walked back to the labor room to say good-bye to his wife and retrieve his coat and sword.

_Vincent?_

… _Yes? _Sephiroth received the impression of bullets being fired from an overlarge, three-barreled gun in Vincent's hand. He could also see, as if from the corner of Vincent's eye, Verdot shooting from the opposite wall of a corridor. Vincent was unperturbed, however; he was handling whatever situation they were in.

_You need something that big to hit your targets?_

…_Humph… _Bang!

_Hurry up with what you're doing and get everyone here!_

_What we are _doing_ is _disengaging!_ Tseng gave the evacuation order about half an hour ago. We should be out soon._

_I know you. What you and Verdot are doing is_ enjoying yourselves_, just _covering the rear_—as if—but this 'party' has to get on the road._

_Hm… Right. _ Sephiroth could see Vincent look directly at the former Turk director then heard Vincent say, "On three: one… two… three!" Verdot seemed just a bit surprised. Perhaps he was the one who usually gave the countdown. At least, both men were running now…

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(7:00 pm, Wutai; 5:00 am, Mideel—Mideel Base; 3:00 am, Midgar; 11:00 pm, Gongaga)

Carlos Griegos and Bill Wallace were in for trouble. They had made their two-hourly report to Gavin McIntyre in Midgar, but McIntyre had passed them on to Mideel! Malik, who'd clearly been in a battle, had quickly answered the summons to the communications center, his yellow eyes had flashed to green at their news, and then _he_ had sent for the General. Nuts! They were going to have to report to Sephiroth _personally!_ At least, that indicated that the fight with Genesis Rhapsodos was over and that Seph had won. That was good news, but he was not going to be pleased with their report _at all! _To make matters worse, Malik had let them know that Sephiroth had ordered a general teleconference of _all_ the base commanders. The faces of Sam Kuhn (usually in charge of Corel, but poised now at Rocket Town to move on to Wutai), John Nichols, Rocket Town's commander, and Bill Wallace Sr. at Gold Saucer were now joining Gavin McIntyre's on screens on the wall before Griegos. He glanced at the clocks in his own command center. It was after 10:00 in Rocket Town and midnight at Gold Saucer on the western continent. Kuhn, Nichols, and Wallace joined the conference looking puzzled but alert—at least they hadn't been awakened for the conference. Damn. Griegos was going to have to report their failure to most of First Class!

At the appearance of the General, all the First Classes but Malik, who stood behind Sephiroth, started; the Wallaces even reached over their shoulders for their swords. The General's leather coat was cut and smeared with blood in several places, and the tip of his left ear was missing where it poked through his hair! The First Classes exchanged horrified looks; Seph had been in a fight, and they hadn't been at his side!

"Gentlemen." Sephiroth's voice sounded tired, even to himself. "I'm told there is important news from Wutai, but before we begin, however, you should know that the threat here in Mideel _is over_. _I killed Genesis Rhapsodos _earlier tonight." Looks of sorrow passed over a few faces. Sephiroth understood. There had always been the hope, rarely spoken, that Rhapsodos would return to Soldier one day, though it had never been a real possibility as far as Sephiroth was concerned. "We will hold some sort of court of remembrance at a later date—for the Genesis who was our friend—as well as for the people we have lost so far in this conflict." Sephiroth's voice trailed off, then he took a deep breath. "On a happier note, my wife is here at the base hospital. She is safe, as is our child." Sephiroth smiled gently. "In about three months, I'll be the father of a little girl." They didn't need to know about Angel—his and Tessa's sorrow was personal and private.

Sighs of relief could be heard from every monitor. Gavin McIntyre spoke for them all. "Seph, congratulations. That's wonderful news…" Sephiroth nodded in acknowledgment, and—what was that on Gavin's lip? Oh…

As Zack would remind him, these men were his closest friends, and they had all known Rhapsodos. He needed to tell them something of the previous night. "Before you hear it from somewhere else, I want you to know that something extraordinary happened to me earlier tonight… _I was dead_ for a few minutes, but the spell Genesis used on me backfired. When I came to, I destroyed him." Sephiroth paused. Dead quiet—no wonder. "Genesis and Vester Hollander had an extensive underground complex here on Mideel filled with cloned versions of Genesis and some also of Angeal Hewley." Everyone gasped; Angeal too?! "Zack, Niven, about fifteen of our people, and the Turks are still engaged in clean-up at Banora as we speak." Sephiroth paused again. Where before he had seemed tired, even pensive, now he straightened his shoulders. All chins lifted in response. "Now to business. After we hear what's going on in Wutai, I'd like readiness updates from all of you." Sephiroth turned pointedly to the Wutai screen. "Carlos?"

Griegos glanced at his second then looked back at the monitor. "General. I'm afraid we have bad news."

"_Worse_ than the base being under fire?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the two men.

"Possibly, sir." Griegos sighed. He might as well just get it over with; he might lose command of Wutai Base, even be demoted. Damn. "General, my earlier report—that we had captured Emperor Godo and Princess Yuffie—was… _inaccurate_."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and tilted his head toward his subordinate. "'Inaccurate,' Carlos?" McIntyre stood with his arms folded over his chest and frowned like thunder at Griegos. The sounds of sharply indrawn breaths came from the western-continent commanders--"Inaccurate?" not "dead wrong?" They were glad they weren't in Carlos' shoes!

"Yes, sir." Griegos took another quick glance at Wallace. "We've learned that the man we captured, believing him to be the emperor, was in actuality the emperor's… body double." Griegos quickly added. "Per your orders we have not broadcast the news of the capture to Wutai."

Sephiroth tilted his head to one side, and his eyes greened up a shade. McIntyre smirked. To him, Sephiroth looked like a snake about to strike a mouse. Poor mouse. "Your mission was _not accomplished_, Carlos?" Occasionally Griegos danced around subjects. Sephiroth was in no mood for _that_ at the moment. Appointing Carlos to command Wutai Base might have been a mistake. He was good during peacetime, but wartime seemed to have rattled him. Hm…

Griegos stiffened. "No, sir." He suddenly regretted the presence of color monitors in the command center—they made the greening of the General's eyes truly alarming. He dropped his own eyes as did several of his fellow commanders.

"But… you _do_ have the _princess_?" Possibly useful…

Griegos' chin lifted. "Yes, sir!" What was Seph thinking?

Sephiroth nodded slightly. "Prepare that broadcast... Godo is probably _extremely worried_ about his daughter. Wouldn't you say, Colonel?"

"Sir, _about_ the princess…" Confess it all.

Sephiroth turned his greened-up eyes sharply at the colonel. "_What about her?_" The man could truly be infuriating…

Griegos shuffled his feet nervously, but he met the General's gaze. "One of the Turks attempted to rape her."

Sephiroth loomed over the monitor. He could see Gavin almost jump through the screen at Carlos; clearly McIntyre hadn't heard this part. Sephiroth understood Gavin's reaction. "'Attempted'?! _Is she is all right?!_"

"Yes, sir! She was knocked around and battered, but the rapist was interrupted and captured by two of our Third Classes. The man's in custody." Griegos glanced at Wallace. "Sir, the princess is demanding the right of 'victim's revenge' according to Wutai law."

"Is she?!" Sephiroth leaned back thoughtfully. The girl had fight in her; better keep that in mind for the future if she were to become empress one day. 'Victim's revenge' was potentially nasty and had never been granted by Shinra. "I see." His eyes narrowed, and the green receded, but he looked intently at Griegos. "Very well. Keep her _very_ secure, Carlos... Is there anything _else_ I need to know?" Griegos shook his head in small, quick jerks. "All right. Contact all base commanders when the broadcast preparations are complete." The other First Classes had thoughtful expressions on their faces. Soldier had never honored victim's revenge claims in the past, but there was a first time for everything—especially if it somehow helped their situation…

"Will do, sir."

"Presumably everyone would like to see that broadcast. Am I right?" The General's question met with affirmative murmurs. Sephiroth's chin rose as he looked up, presumably at a different screen, to make eye contact with Sam Kuhn and John Nichols. "Next. Rocket Town—current status and deployment readiness."

"Yes, sir."

As John Nichols gave the Rocket Town Base current status report, Carlos Griegos stepped back from the monitor and breathed a small sigh of relief. He was off the hot seat for a few minutes. If all went well for the next few days, he might yet salvage his career.

Nichols' report was followed by Sam Kuhn's deployment readiness discussion. It seemed that everything would be ready for departure in time for the General's arrival. The last equipment and supplies needed for the invasion were expected to arrive by noon tomorrow, Rocket Town time. Military transports were standing by, and civilian airships had been diverted for military use and were sufficient for the invasion. Bill Wallace Sr. at Gold Saucer and Gavin McIntyre reported progress on combating the monster attacks on the western and eastern continents, respectively.

"Anyone have any questions? Comments? Concerns?" Sephiroth was winding down the meeting.

Sam Kuhn nodded. "Seph?" Sephiroth tilted his head in permission. "There're really only two questions: When will you be here? And where are we going in Wutai? A landing area, a destination, would be good to have…"

Sephiroth smirked and shook his head. He was keeping those answers to himself for now. "Any _other_ questions?" Kuhn at first looked taken aback then smirked also. He thought he had suddenly caught an inkling of Sephiroth's plan.

"General, if I may?" Bill Wallace Jr. in Wutai raised a hand. Sephiroth nodded. "Dad? Has there been any word from Reactor 20?" The tension in the meeting, which had been lessening, suddenly ratcheted up a notch at the question. Marcus MacArthur and Nathan Grainger were friends with every man there. Reactor 20 was closest to Gold Saucer.

Bill Sr. shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. There's still no word. I've lost two small search aircraft in the past forty-eight hours." Senior turned to look at Sephiroth. "Seph, do you want me to keep looking?"

Sephiroth shook his head thoughtfully, and his long hair moved in waves around his face. "No. Don't lose anyone else." The General raised his head to encompass all screens. Any protests over his decision died on his subordinates' lips. There was a war on and more lives were at stake than those of just the Soldiers at Reactor 20. "Gentlemen. I will be on my way to Rocket Town just as soon as the rest of our people get here from Banora and we can get the ship in the air. Until then, continue as you were." Sephiroth paused and turned his head to a monitor to his side. "Oh, and Gavin…"

McIntyre, who had started to turn away, looked back startled as did the other base commanders. "Seph?"

"You must be worried. I see the caterpillar is back on your lip. Time to swat him, don't you think? He came in crooked this time…" The base commanders laughed quietly; Gavin's occasional facial hair eruptions, in the midst of so much mako-induced hairlessness, had been a long-standing subject of teasing and jokes among the older First Classes.

McIntyre shook his head and smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I can find a really strong razor, somewhere…"

"Good. Thanks, Gavin. Mideel Base out." Sephiroth cut the connection. A Gavin worried enough for a mustache—that bothered Sephiroth. Pointing his brain at his problems, Sephiroth paused to consider his options, and turned to the expectantly waiting Malik.

"Malik, wake up that pilot, Highwind. Tell him to get his ship ready. I want him in the air just as soon as our people arrive."

"Yes, sir."

Ccccccccccccccccc

"Group 5 reports they've cut through the perimeter fence and are in position."

Dan Hutchins, the bejowled former head of Shinra Security for Mideel, nodded at his second's reports; this was the last one. The people he'd planted at Mideel Base had given him the locations of Tessa Romera and Vester Hollander at the hospital—Romera in maternity, third floor, and Hollander in high security confinement, basement level—and had informed him that Romera's husband, General Sephiroth, was busy across the base.

_The_ _General_. Hutchins smirked. While Hutchins intended to obtain both Romera and Hollander, he would be satisfied with either one. Both were worth a lot of money to certain people in Midgar. A helicopter was waiting to carry off his prizes. He'd be gone before _the General _knew what had hit him.

Cccccccccccccccc

"Roust me outta bed, tell me to get my ass to the friggin' ship, and be ready to take off who knows when for who knows where, but do it right now…" Cid Highwind stood at the controls of his very fast airship. "Shera! Tell 'em to keep runnin' that fuel. I don't know where we're goin', but we'll need more, you can jus' bet! Fuckin' military, messin' with my equipment, spare parts from the damn cheap, tag end of Shinra production…"

Shera stifled a yawn, walked to the door of the ship, and delivered Cid's message to the tanker crew. Turning, she leaned against the airship's wall and watched the muscles in the angry man's arms ripple through his tee-shirt, and smiled. It seemed another long flight with Cid was in the offing. Good.

**A/N—Bjanik didn't like Gavin McIntyre's mustache ("Ew, you gave Gavin a mustache!"). That led us to some involved discussions as to hairlessness on Gaia and the effect of mako-infusion and the history of its use by Shinra. There are stories here—stories about the war in Wutai. TBD. **

"**Happy November" to all you crazed NaNoWriMo'ers out there! I'm not doing it, but AV is for her third time. May you make your quota of 1,667 words a day easily! 50k before midnight on 11/30! Good luck!**


	33. GoodBye to New Banora

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

(4:30-5:30 am, Mideel—Apple Town; 2:30-3:30 am, Midgar; 10:30-11:30 pm, Gongaga; 6:30-7:30 pm, Wutai)

Reno was slumped with the side of his face on Lynette Hiland's desk; blood from the bullet hole above his heart was soaking into the blotter's felt and creeping toward his eye. Hunh. Soaking into all the little fibers, one by one. Wonder how far it could go if nobody came, yo, but Gonzo's coming. Don't think I want to move… can move. Blood's darker than my hair in this light. Yeah. Yo, Rude, wish you were here, man. I wouldn't be dying if you were here…

"Reno!" Gonzales crashed around the desk and reached for Reno, unzipped the back of his night-ops Turk suit, and gently turned him over. "Hsst, man look at all that blood! Reno, don't you die on me! Rude'd kill me for sure!" A slight chuckle shook Reno's frame followed by a groan. "Well, you're not dead if you can laugh, I s'pose." Gonzales wrapped his arms around Reno's abdomen, lifted the body slightly, then nudged the rolling desk chair out of the way. He carefully lowered Reno face-up to the floor then gently peeled the rubbery suit from over his left shoulder and upper arm to get to the wound. Bright red blood pumped onto Reno's ghostly white skin—arterial blood, bad sign!

The materia Gonzales had earlier pulled from a pocket, he now rolled between his fingers for a few seconds while he centered his intent. Gonzales knew he wasn't all that good at this and the materia didn't look to be much more than first aid capable; he had to get the healing exactly right. He hoped that the bullet wasn't stuck in a bone somewhere; even so, the materia's wiggling the bullet out could cause more damage to Reno than the bullet had caused when it first went in! The whole shoulder area was full of vital nerves and blood vessels.

A whisper reached Gonzales' ears. "Do it." Reno's voice wasn't much more than an exhale.

"Yeah." Gonzales lowered the materia to the entry point, and the blood covered his fingertips, "Cure1." The pale green materia was quickly lost in the blood as it dissolved into the hole. For a finger's length about the hole, the surface of the blood pool rose, fell, and rippled like a drumhead to the beat of Reno's heart and breathing. "Come on, come on, come on. Get out of there." Gonzales knew it was no use to urge the bullet out, but he tried anyway. Nerves. Slowly an edge of the butt end of the bullet emerged from the blood and the hole. Gonzales delicately lifted the lead sideways to carefully twist the flatted nose out of Reno's body, raised the bullet to the window, then studied it in the moonlight. 45 caliber. The hole in Reno's chest closed over, but Gonzales knew there was more internal tissue damage—more healing was needed. "Reno, man, you are _lucky_ to be alive."

When Reno didn't respond, Gonzales looked back at him sharply. Reno's eyes were closed. Gonzales bent his ear close to Reno's mouth and put a finger to his throat to feel for a pulse. Breath. Pulse. Good. Suddenly Gonzales felt something wet against his ear. What?! Gonzales jerked upright and raised his fist, ready to punch. Reno—that bastard!—had kissed him! He barely heard Reno's words.

"Thanks… Guad-al-fre-do." The corner of Reno's mouth twitched in a smile. "Tell Tseng… secretary… killed… Hiland… who shot… me…" Reno's eyeballs rolled up in their sockets, and he lay still.

"Ain't fallin' for that one again, Reno."

Reno didn't move.

ccccccccccccccc

(4:30-5:30 am, Mideel—New Banora; 2:30-3:30 am, Midgar; 10:30-11:30 pm, Gongaga; 6:30-7:30 pm, Wutai)

Tseng, Rufus, and his bodyguard were standing in the tube control room where they had completed the "disposal" process and were now awaiting Turks and clones to arrive for the evacuation. Suddenly Tseng's communicator vibrated about his ear. Now what?! He tapped it thoughtfully, "Tseng."

"Commander? Gonzales here. Reno's down! He was shot by Lynette Hiland! She was shot and killed by her secretary, who's now on the run underground. Landers is in pursuit."

Tseng's hand moved slowly from his earpiece. He was stunned. "How's Reno?"

"Bad, sir. Lynette Hiland came in through a secret passage in the office and shot Reno when he was going through her desk. The bullet missed his heart, but my best spell and materia are only Cure1—Lando, too, if he was here. The Mideel Base guys have arrived, but none of them has any materia."

Gonzales sounded worried. That wasn't good. Nothing much bothered Gonzo, except his code name. Tseng had thought that he would never be surprised by anything that happened to Reno, or by anything that the redhead ever did for that matter, but now that he'd been shot, Tseng added another item to the list of things that had surprised him over the past few days. "All right… Call Landers and tell him to return unless he's got her in his sites. With the military arriving, Apple Town's bound to wake up. We'll be bringing as many of the Banorans to live at Apple Town as will surrender. Shinra will be providing funds for the Banorans to jump start their lives. You'll need Landers to talk to the Apple Townians while _you_ take care of Reno."

"Boss, do we tell 'em that Hiland's dead?"

"Yes. They might as well hear it all at once. The Banorans' lives aren't the only ones that will be changed tonight." Tseng glanced at his watch. "Finish getting all the documents and computers out of there and onto the truck. We'll join you shortly." Hm. Complication. Tseng had wanted to leave Rude in charge at Apple Town for the interim, but if Reno were in trouble, Rude might not stay.

"Yes, sir." Gonzales paused. "Commander, who's gonna tell Rude his partner's been shot?"

"I'll deal with it. Tseng out."

Ccccccccccccccccc

Stepping through the door of the tube control room to the pool overlook platform, Tseng felt his jaw drop and his temple pound with a headache—another damn surprise for his list. The platforms surrounding the mako pool were _crowded_ with clones; so many faces that looked the same, over and over, made his head pound. More clones could be seen standing back inside the hallways that emptied onto the platforms. The effect was dizzying. Most were dressed in coveralls, a few in black guard outfits. A very few, notably the Vanessas, were bright spots with their variously arranged strawberry-blond hair, lab coats, tee-shirts, and jeans. Three Vanessas even held babies in their arms. Who knew there would be so many Banorans?!

"Overwhelming, isn't it?" Rude glanced at Tseng.

Tseng nodded at Rude's question; Rude was certainly correct about that. Rude was standing nearby outside the control room door with most of the remaining Turks and his arm around Vanessa-7. Tseng had the impression that Rude was keeping contact with the girl so he wouldn't lose her in the midst of so many identical young women. If the Banorans had been armed, they might have been able to overrun the small group of Turks. With Vanessa-7's knowledge of the complex, however, Tseng's people had located the New Banoran armories and commandeered the weaponry. On the off chance that one of the Banorans might recognize Rufus, Tseng had insisted that the Shinra president remain safely out of sight inside the control room with his bodyguard. Shinra was the original cause of Banora's problems, after all. In the control room, Rufus was making some long distance arrangements for the Banorans' futures.

"Rude, Vanessa-7, I have some bad news for both of you, so steel yourselves." Tseng took a deep breath. He knew he should be used to this sort of thing by now, but somehow it never seemed to get any easier. Seven looked a question at Rude; he wasn't sure she knew what the phrase "steel yourself" meant. "Rude, Reno's been shot at Apple Town—he's not good." The only sign of a reaction from Rude was a blanching of his skin—"Mr. Silent," indeed. "He's alive, but neither Gonzales nor Landers nor any of the Mideel troops have the materia to affect anything more than a Cure1. As soon as we arrive at Apple Town, we'll be able to treat him, but I want to forward him on to the base immediately along with Zack Fair. Major Niven has reported that Fair's been poisoned. I find that, like Sephiroth, I don't want to trust the Mideel city hospital either."

"Sir? What's my bad news?" Vanessa-7 looked into Tseng's eyes and tried to read his face.

"I'm sorry. You've been a big help to us, Vanessa-7, but it was Vanessa-0 who shot Reno. She's dead now, though. Vanessa-1 killed her. One of my men was chasing Vanessa-1, but I've called him off the search." Tseng tilted his head at the woman. She had displayed no reaction to his information, not even Rude's blanch. "When we seal the exits to this complex and at Apple Town, can she still escape?"

"Hm? Maybe…" Vanessa-7's eyes left Tseng's face. She could feel a tremor running through Rude's arm about her waist. She wanted to draw him away from this crowd. "I'm sorry. I don't know the tunnels between here and Apple Town, but there's probably an exit along the way. Maybe more than one…" She shrugged and shook her head, her hair rippling around her shoulders.

There was something about Seven's hair that caught Rude's attention and took his breath away. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and hold her to him. Just for a few minutes, then run after Reno. Damn it, Reno! Rude took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and raised his eyes to Tseng. "Let's get this over with."

"Right." Tseng looked down at the girl. "Are you ready to talk to these people? Try and get the others to surrender?"

Vanessa-7 nodded and started walking through the clones toward Lynette Hiland's old, monitor-filled office where the intercom system should still be operational. Suddenly she found herself surrounded by black-suited Turks pushing their way, roughly, through the clones. Vanessa-7 stopped, laid a hand on the arm of one tall Turk, and shook her head gently, half-smiling. The Turk stopped in his tracks. The girl resumed walking, and the clones parted before her, only Rude followed.

Ccccccccccccccccc

"Banorans." The intercom screeched with feedback. "Ouch!" Vanessa-7 stopped speaking into the microphone and covered her ears with her hands. She glanced at Rude who stood in the office doorway with his arms crossed. Rude shrugged. Well, at least she now had everyone's attention.

"Banorans. This is Vanessa-7. If you're still out there shooting and fighting, please stop and drop your weapons… Everyone who made us, who ran our lives, is dead, or captured, or trying to run away. Genesis Rhapsodos and Vanessa-0 are dead, Dr. Hollander has been captured, and Vanessa-1 is on the run… _Please_ stop fighting. There's nothing left to fight for."

From outside on the balconies above the mako pools, she could hear the clones asking questions. "My friends, sisters, brother clones too, we have _new lives_ we can start _right now_. We won't have anyone ordering us around, or disposing of us, or replacing us anymore. There are trucks waiting on the surface to take us to Apple Town. From there, we can make decisions as to what _we_ want to do with our lives. The outsiders you see here are going to help us start over, but the lives we lead from now on will be _our own_."

"I've been talking to the outsiders for a while, and I think this can work. They are going to close the exits permanently after we leave though, so we can't stay here." Vanessa-7 paused again. The noisy questions outside were subsiding. "There's a big world out there that we don't know much about. We'll have to learn about it, but _now_ we have the chance. They'll help us. We have to go _now_. If you're still fighting but want to stop, lay down your weapons, raise your hands, and join us in the mako pool room. We're going to leave from here. Please hurry. Thanks."

Ccccccccccccccccc

When Vanessa-7 started talking, a pause occurred in the firing. Verdot, Vincent Valentine, and the two Turks who had been fighting with them and covering each other's retreats, stopped shooting. They could hear soft voices talking in the distance. Suddenly, the sound of guns hitting the floor was loud in the corridor. Black-clad clones with their hands raised appeared and took several steps into the open toward the Turks.

"We surrender."

All the Turks and former Turks kept their weapons trained on the clones. Verdot called to them. "You heard what she said. Do you want this 'new life' the girl was talking about?"

"Yes." The clone in front nodded. "To live is always better… I am William-23."

"Fine. Move." Verdot made eye contact with his people. "Keep them covered and stay out of their arms' reach. I don't think they'll try anything, but let's not take chances."

"Yes, sir."

ccccccccccccccc

Not long afterward, Verdot and Vincent Valentine were the only people remaining on the landings above the mako pool at New Banora, near Lynette Hiland's former office—hopefully they were the only people within New Banora at all. Tseng and crew were topside and nearly loaded into the trucks and RVs.

_**It's time to act. **_Chaos grumbled darkly.

Vincent sighed. _Fine. I'll tell Verdot to go on ahead. Just don't do anything stupid like that "raise the land" thing you mentioned earlier._

_**Humph. **_Chaos sighed as he ran through his plan one last time. It had taken time for Chaos to decide what to do with the huge mako pool; he had had to abandon his initial idea of "raising the land." It wouldn't have worked since the Lifestream had a nasty habit of running counter to gravity. He might not have been able to do it anyway. Only one possibility for resolution had finally seemed feasible, but he would have to ask for help—help from an unusual source indeed.

Vincent blinked slowly and came back to himself; Chaos had interrupted his conversation with Verdot, but Verdot hadn't noticed Vincent's wandering attention. Verdot was still handicapping the romantic possibilities between "their" daughter and Rufus Shinra. "I don't even give them until we get back to Midgar—ten to one, against. He has _no_ idea what he's getting into! Even if they stay together for a while, she'll have a few surprises in store for him." Vincent cracked a small smile, and Verdot let out a whoop. "That's the Vince I know!"

The smile faded, and Vincent turned his full attention on Verdot. "Go on ahead to the surface, my friend. Tell Tseng he has _ten minutes_ to get _everyone_ to Apple Town from here."

Suddenly Verdot noticed that gold streaks were swirling in Vincent's red eyes. Alarmed, he questioned, "What?! Why?"

"Just go… Now!" Vincent could feel Chaos about to emerge. While his daughter-in-law had once seen Chaos, Vincent didn't want anyone else, much less his old friend, to see him in that _demon form_. "Go!"

Verdot, with a worried frown on his face, headed for the main exit tunnel at the far end of the landing.

Vincent shook his head. Verdot would wonder what was going on. Next time he saw his old friend, Vincent was sure Verdot would lecture him on his "lone wolf" behavior; it wasn't good Turk procedure.

With a brilliant flash of light, Chaos shoved Vincent Valentine's consciousness aside, and Vincent felt the sensations of his soul being encapsulated and wings bursting from his shoulders. Chaos smirked as he flexed his leathery, bat-like wings and metal claws. _**Come on, my Vinny, we have work to do.**_ Looking out over the natural pool of New Banora, Chaos propelled himself out over the mako with his wings. Halfway across, right there in midair, he suddenly launched full-voice into a rousing, echoing rendition of the tune Kamui had been singing earlier, _**ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE!**_

_Working is fine... just _stop singing!_ It's bad enough with _her_ doing it. I don't need _you_ joining in, _the former Turk huffed.

_**You know what your problem is?**_ _**That stick up your ass goes so **_**far**_** up it has snapped your funny bone.**_

_What is _that_ supposed to mean?! _ Vincent's mental voice was incredulous.

_**It means **_**you **_**have forgotten how to have **_**fun! **Back-winging, Chaos settled gently to the surface of the pool and began walking across it, his feet creating ripples. At the center of the pool, he stopped. _**Stay close to my consciousness, Vinny, unless you **_**want**_** to be lost forever.**_ With that, Chaos crossed his arms and wings across his chest and fell backwards into the pool. Soon he felt the current of the Lifestream through the mako and let himself be moved by it.

The light filtering through the mako dimmed until there was only blackness. Vincent blinked. He'd only entered the Lifestream once before as a faint consciousness when he'd been on Hojo's operating table. Suddenly he felt himself pulled in several directions at once—pulled apart—unraveled!; then, as abruptly as it had begun, the sensation ceased, but he next found himself spinning. As strands of his hair whipped across his face, Vincent found his hair was no longer long but short and sparks slipped from its ends in green arcs—what?! Almost stranger, he had on his old, blue Turk suit rather than the black, night-ops outfit! No claws tipped his left hand but sparks spiraled from the fingertips of both hands.

Still spinning, Vincent could see that four other entities were present as well. The trio of beasts that only obeyed Chaos weren't spinning; they seemed to have found "up" and had settled to the "ground." Vincent gave a gentle push with his hand—there, that stopped the rotation—and he righted himself in the same "up" orientation with the trio to his left.

The fourth entity was Chaos himself who stood alone to Vincent's right watching him. Rather than the demon Vincent had expected to see, Vincent saw a red-metallic-winged man with a similar build to himself and the same facial structure. Two tattoos, almost like tear streaks, ran from the centers of Chaos' eyes to just outside the corners of his mouth, and red and gold armor encased his body. Armor! Unlike Vincent and the beasts, Chaos did not drip sparks—his body didn't even seem solid!—but glowed with a constant light.

Chaos' gold eyes caught Vincent's now brown ones. _**When you enter the Lifestream, you appear in the form of your soul rather than your physical body.**_ Vincent nodded.

Suddenly small golden comets flew toward one area from all directions, and a soft gong-like tone shimmered through the Lifestream about them. Chaos turned toward the coalescence point of the light and dropped to his knees; his deep crimson, metal wings swept down and back in graceful arcs as he knelt. In front of Chaos, the golden figure of a beautiful, blond woman formed. The woman, dwarfed by the massive armor she too wore, stepped forward, accompanied by a grey-haired teen in green and gunmetal armor. Nearby Galian Beast, Death Gigas, and Hellmasker all bowed. Belatedly, Vincent bowed as well.

_**My Lady, it has been two falls of an empire since last we met.**_ Chaos spoke solemnly as he took the woman's translucent hand and kissed it.

"Rise, everyone," the goddess commanded, but Chaos remained on the ground. She turned to him. "Knight Chaos, it has been _too_ long." The goddess smiled at him. "What is it, my child?"

_**Lady Minerva, the current of the stream here is dangerous and has created a huge concentration of mako. I humbly ask that you aid my friend by dispersing this pool.**_ Chaos requested and bowed his head.

"Why do you not take care of this matter yourself?" The goddess asked the warrior.

Chaos flushed and hung his head. _**I am afraid that my power is diminished by my confinement in a host.**_ He muttered, ashamed of the fact.

The goddess considered this for a moment then walked over to the entranced Valentine. She reached out for his face and placed her hand on his cheek. Vincent's brows furrowed, but she smiled at him, "Vincent Octavian Valentine." Now Vincent's eyebrows rose in surprise, but she pressed a finger to his lips as he began to speak. How did she know his middle name?! Vincent hated the name "Octavian," had never used it, indeed, had thought he'd obliterated its existence from every database on the planet! Yet here it was come back to haunt him. "_You_ have a touch of destiny about you." Vincent's eyebrows rose even higher at this statement. The deity took a step away from the human and smiled at the solemn, gray-haired youth who had accompanied her. "Omega, assist your brother in this matter but do so discreetly. We do not need to create mass hysteria among the populous."

Vincent felt his jaw drop. He had no idea what was going on. _Wait, wha…?_ He started to speak, but the goddess turned back and re-placed the finger on his lips.

"Please refrain from talking. In the future after you leave here, do not try to describe what is about to happen to anyone. After all, who would believe you if you tried to tell them?" She smiled at him brightly.

Vincent swallowed roughly and nodded. _Y-yes, ma'am._

The goddess smiled at him again. "Ah excellent. I'm glad we have an understanding." She turned back to Chaos and Omega. "Boys, get to work. And you three," her gaze sharpened as she addressed the three beasts, "help them." She smiled at Vincent. "You may want to watch this."

Vincent nodded. He certainly was interested in how Chaos, Omega, and the others were going to disperse the pool, but suddenly a breeze—breeze?!—touched the hair on his neck, and he felt his hackles rise. A hideous laugh came to his ears and pulled his attention away from those working to divert the Lifestream. No! It couldn't be… Vincent's hand felt for the pistol inside his suit jacket in answer to the touch of menace, of warning…

"Oh ho, long time no see, _boy-ee_."

Vincent saw red as he spun in the direction of the voice. There, just ten feet from him, stood the grimy form of the windbag himself. Even with Lifestream sparks and translucence, the form was dirty and grimy, the hair greasy. "Ho-jo!" Vincent snarled, and his left fist clenched. He was glad of the feel of the gun's handle in his right.

"Hoo, hoo! Tem-per, tem-per!" The apparition stepped close to Vincent and put its face near his. How could Hojo smell bad even in the Lifestream? Form of his soul, hunh?! "It was just like this, wasn't it? You and I were alone in the basement while your _beloved_ toiled away." Hojo turned and all around them ghost images of the Nibelheim mansion basement laboratory wavered; no one else was present. In the distance Vincent could even see the box where he'd lain for twenty-five years. He felt his skin crawl with revulsion and fear. "_She_ was unaware of that ludicrous, alcohol-fueled plan of yours, but _I_ knew…" Hojo cackled long and loud; he spun toward Vincent and drew his pistol. The motion was all too familiar to Vincent. The moment had played itself out hundreds of times in Vincent's mind.

Hojo pulled the trigger, time slowed, and the bullet spun toward its target. Unlike before, however, Vincent's body, imbued with the power of a goddess' servant, reacted accordingly. He watched the bullet approach him. Vincent's left fingers—fingers!—rose, snatched the bullet, and stopped it within inches of his heart. Holding the bullet between his forefinger and thumb, Vincent brought the slug to eye level. Squeezing his fingers, he crushed the slug. When the bullet was flat, Vincent dropped the metal. In the time between the bullet's leaving his fingers and hitting the floor, Vincent's right hand pulled his gun, and he shot Hojo's elbows and knees. Hojo, and the compressed bullet, landed at the same moment. "I can finally tell you something I wanted to back then," Vincent growled. He walked to Hojo's writhing body, put his foot squarely on the scientist's chest, and pointed the gun at the slimy head with its hair spread wildly about. "Hojo, on your way to hell, _take a bath."_ On that note, Vincent put four bullets through Hojo's eyes, two each. Red sprayed from the eye sockets. Such _satisfaction_…

Vincent twirled the gun about his forefinger then slid it into its holster. He looked up, but the laboratory was gone as was the body, and he was suddenly back at the goddess' side. _What?_ Vincent stopped himself before he said too much.

The deity stood at his side gazing at him thoughtfully. "When a living being enters the Lifestream, spirits from their pasts can be attracted. Interesting..." The goddess paused. "The Lifestream has been diverted. The pool will have healed when you and Chaos leave." The goddess turned to watch Omega and Chaos embrace. "I feel sorry for them; they are brothers, yet they rarely see each other."

Vincent, mindful of the deity's admonition to remain silent, simply nodded as he walked to where Chaos stood waving to him. Together he, Chaos, and the others swirled together, moved closer, and coalesced as they ascended into brightness. Vincent shook his head and suddenly found very long hair whipping by him again. Blinking to adjust his eyes, Vincent found himself back at the bottom of the now-empty rock pool at New Banora. He clenched his hands then smiled slightly as the hand and claws relaxed. Relaxed. Vincent Valentine rarely relaxed. He found the song that everyone seemed to be singing of late lazily drifting into his mind. _Death's a joke, it's true._

_**Hurry, Vinny, the stability of the land will soon end.**_

_What?! I thought you were done._

_**The underground chamber still holds much that could be used for evil. The caverns must cease to exist, and the entrances must be sealed. **_**Do move quickly!**

Beneath his feet Vincent could feel a trembling in the floor of the former pool. Overhead pipes and flood lamps were swaying in grand arcs; in the distance Vincent could hear the hiss of gasses leaking, glass breaking, and liquids flowing. Scrambling, climbing, and running suddenly seemed like a bad idea. _Right. You _could_ help, you know._

_**Perhaps you are right.**_ With another flash of light, Chaos again pushed Vincent aside. With a grand down stroke, Chaos' wings swept from full overhead extension to the floor and, with a jump, propelled his body upward. Pipes were beginning to fall. Chaos swerved slightly to avoid one piece of plumbing with mako spilling from it. Another sweep of the wings, and Vincent could feel Chaos' speed increase. _**Hold on**_. Chaos raised his arms and light burst from his hand and claws.

_Uh, oh. You're going to dig your way _to the surface?!

_**Qui-et. I need to concentrate here.**_

_Sorry._

First tubing and plumbing surrounded them, then rock bits pelted Chaos' face. The light spread from Chaos' hands and grew brighter and brighter. The power Chaos was generating seemed enormous, a thrumming in the air and rock, but the air, in turn, seemed filled with rock. Indeed, _what air?!_ Vincent tried to close his eyes, but Chaos held them open. The rock lessened and was replaced by soil. Dirt. Vincent could taste it on his tongue. The dirt seemed too close. For a man who had been confined to a box for twenty-five years, it seemed odd he should now feel claustrophobic. Hm. Don't think about that! The thrumming grew louder and just when it seemed the pitch and volume had risen so high his eardrums would burst, Chaos broke through the surface of the ground.

Slowing and extending his wings, Chaos hovered in mid-air above the site where New Banora lay underground. Below Chaos, Vincent could just see that the ground was undulating in waves from the exit site; it broke in circular cracks, and the trees swayed wildly like sticks floating in a stream. The few remaining decomposing fighters' bodies burst apart in sprays of green sparks. Even at this height, Vincent could still taste dirt in the air. Without the impetus of Chaos' power, the ground waves soon subsided, however. Below him, Vincent could see that the soil was settling into a bowl-shaped depression. Chaos lifted the clawed hand and, with a cutting motion, pulled in water from the swamp to the south to flood the area. Moving the claws and hand, Chaos next pushed outward away from his body, then upward and downward toward his head and legs. On the ground Vincent could see lines of depressions forming as the outward snaking tunnels from the pool room collapsed, one long line in particular running in the direction of what must be Apple Town, two miles away.

_**There. That should do.**_

_I have to ask: why didn't you do that before?_

_**The mako would have exploded and dropped the island into the ocean. Too many people would have lost their lives… including your daughter-in-law and grandchild, Vinny.**_

_Hm, yes... Thank you. _

_**Now you must **_**run**_** for a few minutes, Vinny. **_

_What?! You can't fly us to Apple Town to catch up with the others?_

**I**_** have just caused a small earthquake, kept Mideel from sinking into the water, and helped move the Lifestream. What have **_**you**_** been doing, Vinny?**_

… _Oh, is _that_ all!… What'd it take you? All of _five minutes?!_ Real work, hunh? _I_ have been fighting and moving for hours. _

_**Oh yes. Little pellets of lead moved by a controlled explosion from those long pipes you call a gun. So much work…**_

The pair continued to grumble at each other. Chaos flew them to a hilltop with a view of Apple Town and the Shinra caravan. With an expanding sensation, Vincent resumed control of his body.

**A/N—My thanks to AV for the Vincent-in-the-Lifestream section, but the conclusion of that part was mine. We loved it.**

**A/N--And to think I had a whim in the Prologue that sent Reno and Rude to Mideel to check out Londo's old commune. More than eight months and a hundred thousand words later, we now know what was going on in Mideel, and we can finally say, "Good-bye to New Banora"! Thanks, Bjanik, for putting Londo's commune on that island--you set this up brilliantly for me!**


	34. Caravan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—We're going back in time just a bit to find out what was happening aboveground while Vincent and Chaos were destroying New Banora.**

(5:00-5:30 am, Mideel—Banora; 3:00-3:30 am, Midgar; 11:00 pm-11:30, Gongaga; 7:00-7:30 pm, Wutai)

The clouds were back, and the moon was setting. Soon, except for the vehicles' headlights, it would be completely dark. Did that mean it would be "darkest before the dawn"? Elena shook her head as she looked at the sky. _Jayna!_ In her short life, she'd never been without her sister. Tseng—what was she going to do about him? Jayna would know what to do about any man, but that strong foundation of Elena's existence was gone. She was nervous, and tired, and very, very scared.

Elena sat on the ground with her arms wrapped about her knees near the center of the circle of RVs and trucks that were waiting to take the survivors of the "Battle of New Banora" someplace else. Elena wasn't sure where they were going, but it had to be better than here. After leaving Tseng in the underground control room, she had gone topside and wandered until she'd found where Jayna and Richard had died. Their bodies were gone now. Truly gone. Now she simply watched, and waited, and remembered, and tried not to fall asleep. She turned her head from looking at the sky and laid her cheek on her arms. She could see Tseng talking and giving instructions nearby, and she knew he would be getting on an RV soon—she just didn't know which one. After her behavior earlier, she hoped he wouldn't be angry, but he might well be disgusted with her. She'd practically grabbed his crotch! Well not precisely, but the difference was certainly miniscule! She just wanted to be with him! She'd said, "I love you" and ran. How did he feel about her?

Tears filled Elena's eyes. "Oh, Jayna! What am I gonna do?" She felt a tear slide across her nose. She wiped at it savagely. Turks didn't cry! Jayna had protected her from their father and had kept her in school when that horrible man had thrown them out on the streets to fend for themselves. The streets of the Midgar slums had been no place for two young girls…

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"I can get us to Apple Town easy enough, but does anyone know how to get to the base from there?" Rude stood nose to nose with Tseng. The five RVs had been brought into the center of the former orchards and circled with the Mideel Base trucks. The New Banora clones were climbing on board the trucks and on a pair of the RVs while the Soldiers, grunts, and Turks had roughly divided the remaining three RVs between them. It would be a tight fit for the trip to Apple Town, but, once there, the clones would be getting off and everyone left would be able to spread out for the rest of the trip to Mideel Base. Vanessa-7 stood near Rude; she didn't seem to want to go with the clones on the trucks, and Rude wasn't about to force her to do so. Rude, however, fully intended to be the driver of one of the RVs to Apple Town—the sooner he was on the road the better. Damn you, Reno. Making me worry about you, man! Don't you die, you sonuvabitch!

Tseng looked about for that Mideel resident, Verdot, or even Verdot's daughter with her lousy sense of direction, but then he remembered that Verdot and Valentine were still below ground, bringing up the rear. Tseng had a general impression that the base was about sixty miles west of Banora, but then what? Follow the signs? Well, military bases in isolated areas were usually huge. They ought to be able to run into it, he supposed. Tseng knew that the grunts driving the trucks from the base would know how to get back, but he wasn't sure he wanted them in the lead—he really only trusted Turks and maybe a few Soldiers. Well, one Soldier. Sephiroth. Suddenly a Soldier leaned out of an RV door—First Class by the color of his turtleneck. Was this Niven, one of Sephiroth's top, Midgar-based officers? Tseng made a mental note to get to know Sephiroth's best people better—just for occasions like this.

"Commander, Col. Malik left me a map to get to his base. When we get closer, I've also got his personal PHS number if we take a wrong turn. We need to _go_, sir!"

Tseng nodded. "Yes. Let's move." He noted that Niven did not say "if we get lost"—diplomatic fellow.

"I'm drivin'." Rude tried to live up to his codename. Shoulder to shoulder, he attempted to push his way by Niven through the RV door. Niven's shoulder didn't budge. "What?! You drivin'?"

Niven smiled slightly—impulsive Turk. "No, you can drive." Rude looked questioningly at the Soldier. "I'm just giving the directions once we leave Apple Town. Let's go."

Tseng turned away from the scene with a coughing fit that covered the rolling of his eyes. Even after all the fighting and close cooperation between himself and Sephiroth, Turks and Soldiers were still flexing their muscles at each other—so much for internal Shinra cooperation. Turning back, he gazed across the circle of vehicles. Nearly loaded. The orchard grounds were almost empty. He hoped they hadn't left anything important behind. How was he going to close this place off anyway? Explosives followed by bulldozers, he supposed. No, not a good idea—not with all that combustible mako around. Even bulldozers might not be a good idea. Might have to use physical labor—picks and shovels wielded by arms—might be temporary employment for the clones, he supposed. Suddenly from the direction of the main exit tunnel, a lone Turk came running. It was Verdot—by himself. Tseng frowned. Where was Valentine?

"We've got to get out of here now! Get everyone on the road, Tseng!"

"What?! Where's Valentine?"

The former director caught up with his successor. "Don't worry about him. He'll catch up." A bit breathless, Verdot shook his head. "We've got to leave _now_, Tseng!" He hated cryptic statements himself. You'll be on the receiving end of a piece of my mind, Vince!

"All right." Tseng didn't understand the urgency, but he knew better than to question his former boss further. Valentine was up to something, and Verdot was going along with it though he clearly didn't like it—whatever "it" was. Tseng called to Rude. "Get ready to leave _now!_ You're leading!"

Rude nodded—that suited him just fine—and glanced at Niven. The Soldier retreated into the RV. Rude raised an eyebrow and harrumphed in amusement—good Soldier. Rude climbed on board the RV followed closely by Vanessa-7 and Verdot.

Tseng moved to the center of the RVs and trucks. He supposed he'd just become a traffic cop. "Everyone onto the vehicles now! We're leaving immediately! Follow that RV!" He shouted and pointed to Rude's vehicle. "After that, I want the other RVs, beginning with you," he pointed at an RV nearest the east end of the orchard, "followed by these RVs," he arced his right arm to indicate the order in which he wanted the RVs to move, "then the trucks, beginning with you," and pointed at the truck nearest the orchard's east end. "Let's go! Move!" Tseng headed for Rude's RV. As soon as his foot touched the RV's floor, Tseng could feel Rude put the machine in gear. Tseng headed for an open spot at the back of the RV. He noted that Verdot was sitting on the opposite side of the RV from his daughter, his arms and legs crossed, and was staring with his brows knit at her and Rufus.

Tseng paused for a moment to talk to the First Class Soldier who sat near the still body of Zack Fair and his own remaining medic. That made sense; the First Class probably wanted the poisoned Fair near the best medical help available. "You Niven?" The Soldier gave a jerk of his head in the affirmative. The man seemed uneasy to Tseng. "How are your people?"

"In general, the survivors are all right," Alex Niven shrugged. "They're back in the RV behind us. My biggest problem is Lt. Col. Fair here."

"Understood. I'll send him on to Mideel Base ASAP."

"Thank you, sir." To Tseng's eye, Niven seemed to breathe a bit easier at that assurance. Tseng proceeded on to the spot at the back of the RV.

Rude had only moved the RV a few feet, however, when a blond-headed girl with a face like thunder appeared and pounded on the door. "Rude, let me in!"

Rude slammed on the brakes, and his eyebrows went up. "Kid?!"

"LET ME IN!"

"Ye-ah, o-kay."

Rude opened the door for Elena, and she ran aboard. She didn't stop to look around. Somehow she knew exactly where he was. Elena moved quickly toward the back of the RV where Tseng sat by himself—alone as always.

"Move it, Rude!" Verdot shouted the order, and the RV lurched into motion once again. Elena fell in a heap nowhere near her goal.

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Vanessa-7 sat on the RV's floor near Rude's seat and gazed around her thoughtfully. The vehicle was filled with men and women sitting or standing everywhere; most were dressed like Mr. Lowell. Oops. "Rude," not "Lowell." Rude had just moved the RV a few feet when the vehicle suddenly stopped with a jolt. Vanessa-7 grabbed for Rude's chair to stop herself from tumbling across the floor. Rude opened the door, and a blond girl nearly stumbled over Vanessa-7 in her haste. Soon Rude had the RV moving fast across the orchard. Vanessa-7 wasn't surprised at Rude's speed. Mr. Sinclair was his best friend. Again. "Reno," not "Sinclair," she reminded herself.

Rude and Reno and their colleagues—it was all so confusing!—as was everything else in her life. Just yesterday Vanessa-7 had worried that Dr. Hollander was going to dispose of her. This morning Dr. Hollander was a prisoner, Rude wanted her near him, and she was helping protect her fellow Banorans. Banora. She smiled slightly. It had been a long time since she'd been able to think of that town. Well, not really so long; after all, she was only a few months passed her first birthday. In fact, she didn't actually have a "birth-day" since clones were "made," not "born." She and all the other clones had anniversaries of their "let-out-of-the-tube" day. Vanessa-7 knew that the memories she had of Banora, that town that had been destroyed by fire bombs, weren't really hers—they belonged to the original Lynette Hiland—but the woman had truly loved that town. So much so, Vanessa-7 couldn't help but think of it fondly as well. Maybe now the clones could establish some sort of community along the lines of the original Banora.

Feeling the RV lurch as it climbed onto the paved roadbed, Vanessa-7 grabbed again for Rude's seat. As the front wheels climbed separately onto the road, the people behind her swayed to one side. What? What was that?! As the bodies cleared from her line of sight, Vanessa-7 had caught a glimpse of a man lying on the RV floor with the Turk medic hovering over him. A huge sword was tilted against the RV's wall at the man's side, but it wasn't the sword Vanessa-7 was concerned about. She wasn't sure, but in the dark the man seemed to have a slight greenish glow about him. Oh no. Please, not that! The back wheels of the RV climbed onto the roadbed, and Vanessa-7 once again caught sight of the man, a Soldier she could see this time. She gasped. It was true—he _was_ glowing—but how?!

Vanessa-7 had to get to the Soldier. She didn't stand; she simply crawled on her hands and knees toward him as the RV swayed about her. The medic had a stethoscope pressed to the man's shirt and was shaking his head slightly. When Vanessa-7 reached a hand toward the Soldier's face, she abruptly felt cold metal pressed to her throat.

"What do you think you're doing?!" A voice growled at the girl. "Who are you anyway?" Alex Niven had reacted quickly to this Banoran threat. The girl was a clone. He wouldn't let her near Zack Fair.

Vanessa-7 slowly raised the hand that had been nearing the Soldier on the floor toward the knife-wielder behind her on his knees; he must be the man's friend. "I'm sorry. I'm Vanessa-7. I'm a friend of the driver. I just wanted to see... I think your friend is dying. I can't hurt him anymore than that, can I?"

Niven leaned back surprised but didn't lower the knife from the girl's throat; the clone hadn't argued with him or tried to defend herself physically. He couldn't argue with her logic, he supposed; Zack was dying, slowly. All the Antidotes and cure materia healings he and the medic had tried had only slowed the process.

"HEY! Whaddaya think you're doin'?!" The RV lurched as Rude caught sight of the threat to Vanessa-7 in his rearview mirror. He kept the vehicle moving, however; they didn't need a ten-car pileup in the middle of goddamn, nowhere Mideel! Glancing again in the mirror, one corner of Rude's lip twitched suddenly; he rather thought she'd be all right.

Suddenly Niven found himself the target of several, Turk-wielded pistols, Verdot's among them; all the guns were aimed for his head. The Turk medic smiled ruefully and shook his head as if to say "idiot." So, the clone had defenders. Even with precog he knew he probably couldn't avoid _all_ the bullets in the close confines of the RV—probably get a lot of people killed too. "Hunh. All right." Niven lowered the knife. "What were you going to do?"

Vanessa-7 gave a small sigh of relief, glanced around, and breathed, "thank you." The guns went back into holsters. Verdot sat back with a smirk to resume his study of his daughter and her new boss, but he also kept half an eye on the First Class. Looking back at the Soldier, Vanessa-7 questioned, "do you know what's wrong with him?"

"No." Alex paused and tilted his head slightly. A possibility struck him. "But _you _do, don't you?"

The girl shrugged. "Maybe..." She looked back at the Soldier on the floor and raised her hand toward him again. "May I?"

Alex moved nearer Zack's head and watched her closely. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm just checking to see if I'm right." Vanessa-7's wandering hand lifted one of Zack's eyelids. His pupils were not present, but green sparks popped in the whites of his eyes. With a jerk and a gasp, her hand flew away from the Soldier's face. She set both hands on the floor, braced her upper body, and looked at the knife-wielding Soldier. "I'm so sorry."

The girl sounded as though she were about to cry! Mindful of the pistols, Alex stuck his face inches from the clone's. _"What is wrong with him?!"_

Vanessa-7 shook her head sadly. "I don't know how it could have happened, but your friend has been injected with Dr. Hollander's disposal solution. His body is being eaten—from the inside out."

Ccccccccccccccccccccc

(5:00-5:30 am, Mideel—Apple Town; 3:00-3:30 am, Midgar; 11:00 pm-11:30, Gongaga; 7:00-7:30 pm, Wutai)

Finally, Apple Town. With a spray of gravel, Rude jerked the RV to a halt in front of the administration building. He was out the door before anyone could quarrel with his driving. He ran straight into the admin building, through Vanessa-1's reception area and into Vanessa-0's office. He just knew where he'd find Reno—in the middle of the place where he could have caused the most mischief. With a mastered cure materia in hand, the Turk medic followed him.

Rude passed the decomposing body of Vanessa-0 and rounded her desk to see his partner lying on the floor. Reno's upper chest was covered in blood. The sight brought Rude to an abrupt halt. "Gonzo, how is he?" The medic rounded Rude and sank to his knees to examine the injured man.

Gonzales, who had remained near Reno, was sitting in Lynette Hiland's desk chair frowning at the man on the floor. "Rude. He'll be all right now that Wickles is here." Gonzales looked up at Rude. "You know the old lady shot him—nearly killed him. After I put a Cure1 on him, you know what that bastard did?" Rude shook his head once. "Called me by my real name. Bastard. _How does he know that?! _That sort of information is off limits. It's s'posed to be gone from the face of Gaia!"

Rude laughed softly. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't surprise me. If info's off-limits, then Reno'll find a way to learn it. You can beat it out of his head later if you want. I'll even hold him while you do it."

Wickles, the medic, had placed the materia on Reno's chest near the wound. He curved his hands about the orb, pulled them away from the materia, then turned them down as if pouring the magic into Reno's wound. "Cure3." Light flared then seemed to burrow into the body. When Reno jerked violently, Rude knelt beside the medic. With a huge gulp of air, Reno's eyes flew open, and he half-sat up, only to fall back to the floor, his eyes once again closed. "What the…"

"Here. Outta the way. Let me see him." With a glance at Rude, Wickles backed out of the area behind the desk. Rude bent closer to Reno's body, grabbed Reno by his rubberized suit top, and shook him. Hard. Reno's head lolled on his neck. The tattoos under his eyes stood out in ghastly contrast to his whiter-than-normal skin. Wickles tried to insert an arm between the men, but Rude held on tight to Reno. "Wake up, Reno! You asshole! If you don't wake up, I'm gonna break you in two!"

Reno again pulled in air with a gasp and raised his head. "Whoa, Rude-man. Good to see you too. Glad to know you were concerned."

Rude sneered. "As if. Just don't want you dyin' on me when I already gave an arm to keep you alive once, you bastard."

Reno smiled at the memory. Rude had held onto Reno when the two had fallen toward the mako pool at the Nibelheim reactor. While his action had saved Reno's life, it had also cost Rude his left arm. "Yeah, you won't let me die without payin' you back for that, will ya?"

"Got that right. Now get your ass up, and let's get outta here."

Ccccccccccccccccccccc

"What do you mean, 'these people are staying here'?!"

Tseng held his face impassive. He wouldn't let his irritation with the man show. I suppose there are disadvantages to the elimination of the leadership of an enemy party. With Lynette Hiland dead and her secretary missing, Apple Town was now effectively leaderless. There was no one with whom he could treat. A very tall, thick man with wispy blond hair had finally stepped forward—perhaps, a new leader for Apple Town.

John Sandry had never heard of such idiocy. About half the adult population of Apple Town stood about Sandry, but from what these Shinra people had told him, the population of Apple Town was on the verge of more than tripling! Where would they put them? House them? How would they feed them? As he glanced at the people getting out of the trucks, it suddenly struck him—many of them looked alike! What?! _Exactly_ alike! Sandry felt his mouth fall open. Ee-eh, how could that be?!

Suddenly Tseng felt hand on his shoulder, though he didn't take his eyes from the blond man. "Let me handle this." Rufus stepped around Tseng, and, surprisingly, extended his hand. "How do you do? I'm Rufus Shinra. You may have known my father, Londo Shinra. I believe he lived here for the last several years."

Surprise filled the man's face, and he grasped Rufus' hand in something of an automatic reaction. Rufus winced ever so slightly at the feel of callus ridges on the huge hand engulfing his own. "Uh, yes. I did know your father. My condolences. _He _was well liked in these parts."

Rufus caught the slight emphasis on the "he" the blond man had used. Well, maybe he'd earn a little of the man's respect for himself. There was one other person's respect he wanted to earn too; he could feel Kamui's presence nearby. She was giving him room but watching the situation for any wrong moves. Rufus smiled slightly. Maybe two birds with one stone… "Thank you. My father truly loved Apple Town and left a great deal of money to the Apple Town Foundation. I'm sure you could use it to help house the Banorans."

"Banorans! What Banorans? Banora doesn't exist. Hasn't for years. Several of the people here had relatives in that town, but it was wiped off Mideel by Shinra—by you!"

As if in emphasis, the earth suddenly moved under all their feet, many people fell, and the ground sank in a line. It was as if a large piece of machinery had dug a trench through the middle of the area ending at the Apple Town administration building and had collapsed one side of it. Screaming and cursing commenced—mainly by the Apple Townians, Rufus noted. Guess the Shinra people had become inured to the inexplicable.

Tseng and Verdot's heads snapped over their shoulders then looked at each other. Was this Valentine's doing?! With a growl, Verdot half ran back to the road—the direction of Banora.

"Hm…" Rufus turned back to Sandry who had fallen to the ground with the small earthquake. He extended his hand to help Sandry rise. "I'm sure you can tell this is an unusual night." Sandry looked appalled. A corner of the admin building was a wreck—Ms. Hiland's office to be exact! "I'm afraid that Lynette Hiland is dead, and her secretary, Vanessa, pulled the trigger. For the time being, I'll be leaving one of my men in charge here to help get your place back up and running. He should be here shortly. In the meantime…" Rufus looked over his shoulder for someone. "There's someone I'd like to you meet… Though you already know her, in a weird sort of way…" Rufus took three steps away from Sandry and grasped a woman with strawberry-blond hair by the hand. "Vanessa-7 come with me, please."

The clone raised her eyes questioningly at Rufus Shinra but let him lead her toward Sandry whose face filled with shock.

"But you said Miss Vanessa shot Ms. Hiland…" Sandry shook his head amazed. "How can she be _here?_"

Vanessa-7 extended a hand to the shaking man. "I'm Vanessa-7, and I'm a clone. We're all clones. Our originals were from Banora." As the man frowned at her, Vanessa-7 smiled gently. "It's okay. We'll be here only a short time while we start our lives. Mr. Shinra will help finance it, but I think most of us will move on, probably back to the site of Banora within a few weeks. Okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Sandry took the clone's hand. "Well, we have room in the cafeteria area, I suppose, for a few nights anyway. That okay?"

Vanessa-7's face lit, and she gave him a dazzling smile. "That'll be great. I think we'll all sleep for a few days now."

Rufus chimed in. "I spent some time on the phone earlier. Trucks will be arriving in the next few hours from Mideel with things the clones will need—food, clothing, even beds and diapers for the babies. Everything will work out."

Vanessa-7 smiled gently at Rufus. If his grandfather had allowed Rufus' father to marry her original, then he might have been her son, in a way. She rose on the balls of her feet and kissed Rufus gently on the cheek, "thank you."

Rufus leaned back, surprised. He suddenly understood what his father had seen in Lynette Hiland, he thought. Vanessa-7 had a gentle, quiet quality that had to have been attractive to the noisy, domineering Londo. Hm. Did his bodyguard fit that profile? Maybe not…

At that point Rude's party emerged from the damaged administration building. Rude had his right arm around Reno's waist, and he had Reno's arm pulled over his shoulder. Rufus introduced the pair to Sandry noting that Rude was the man he intended to leave at Apple Town for the near term to coordinate things. Sandry looked Rude over and noted his solid, though somewhat intimidating, appearance. Clearly, this Rude meant business—this could work.

Vanessa-7 turned to Rufus once again. "I'll have to go on to Mideel Base for a bit, though. The Soldier on the RV who's ill? I think I might be able to help him, but I'll need a lab to do it, and I doubt there's one at New Banora any more."

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Verdot stopped aghast at the sight. A brilliant red, bat-winged demon with a head covered in spikes had settled in a grove of trees at the top of a hill just off the road back to Banora. Had it truly been a demon or had the first glow of the sun interfered with his vision? Verdot wasn't sure, but a minute later, his friend, Vincent Valentine, emerged from the trees and began descending the hill. Upon seeing Verdot, Vincent froze.

"Verdot?"

"Vince?" Verdot decided not to question his friend, at least not now. Perhaps he hadn't seen what he thought he'd just seen. He stored the information in his mental, for-future-reference file. "What did you do to New Banora?"

"… It's gone…"

Verdot shook his head slightly. " 'Gone'? As in… what? Gone from the face of Gaia?"

"…Yes…"

"Ah… Well that explains it… I guess." Verdot turned slightly and sighed. Same old Vince. "Come on, we'll be pulling out of Apple Town soon."

"…Fine…"

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After Vanessa-7's announcement, the Shinra forces returned to their vehicles and set out once again for Mideel Base. Rude had refused to stay at Apple Town without Vanessa-7 and insisted on going along with Reno to the base for more possible medical attention. Rude was driving again—one handed, of course. The convalescing Reno had been installed near the medic and Zack Fair.

Tseng looked around him. He had been surprised, and, Sweet Shiva, how he hated surprises! For a man who prided himself on his control of his surroundings and of the happenings around him, the surprises of the last forty-eight hours had been completely unacceptable. Tseng had found the darkest corner on the floor at the back of the RV in which to plant himself in order to recover his composure. At the very back he had not only a view of his people in the RV, but of the other caravan vehicles out a small window above his head. All the vehicles were moving in order and at a ground-eating pace away from Apple Town and toward Mideel Base. Tseng rather thought he'd sleep for a week at the base. Well, maybe not a week. With his arms folded over his chest, his legs crossed at the ankles before him, and his brows knit, Tseng's mind ran through the things he needed to do—most ASAP: first, talk to Cissnei in Midgar—to do that he'd have to get Sephiroth to give him access to the base's real-time com system; second, get back to Midgar, but he rather suspected Sephiroth would want him to continue on to Wutai with the Soldier invasion forces—fine, but that made contacting Cissnei even more imperative; third, check on his people, so many had been lost and the remainder needed his attention—this was something he could do shortly; fourth, weapons check, he hated being in the middle of nowhere without knowing how much ammunition they had, much less the status of their equipment—this job he could give to Rude when they got to the base, if he could peel him away from Reno—of course, Rude might just beat Reno up out of aggravation; fifth, a longer term concern, find another Turk he could trust implicitly, completely—with Cissnei in Midgar, Rude distracted, and Reno recovering from injury, Tseng needed someone to help him, work closely with him. Verdot would be perfect, but he suspected Verdot wouldn't be staying on with the Turks after this adventure.

Sixth—yes, there was a sixth—Elena. Tseng reviewed what he knew of the girl from her files. Jayna had been a street walker—no pimp involved, though—when Richard had discovered the beautiful, young woman stealing and hustling in the Midgaran slums and had recruited her as a Turk. With a kid sister to protect, Jayna had cut a deal that let her bring the girl with her to live at Shinra. In return, Jayna had given the Turks her absolute, complete loyalty. Both women had proven to be highly intelligent, organized, and incredibly beautiful. Jayna had been exemplary Turk. After all, she had owed everything to the Turks. Suddenly a pair of small, black boots appeared in Tseng's line of sight. Without glancing up, he knew the boots belonged to Miss Number Six. Hm. Could she be possibly be Miss Number Five also?

"Commander?"

Yes, it was Miss Number-Six-Maybe-Five, herself. He looked up to see Elena, looking anxious, staring at him. She's too young for you, Tseng. Well, maybe not. From his position on the floor Tseng looked up at the girl and found his gaze tracing the curve of her hips, the holes in her Turk suit, and the uplift of her breasts before they ever got to her face. Tseng, you are a dirty, old man. Dirty-minded, yeah, okay—but not really all that old. Not even thirty yet. Yeah, but she's not that much older than your son… "Elena?"

"Commander, may I speak with you?"

Elena probably wanted to talk about what had happened in the monitor-room back in New Banora. "Of course, have a seat." Tseng looked about and frowned. "If you can squeeze in, that is…" Two male Turks were seated near Tseng, both asleep, one with his head on the other's shoulder. Tseng punched the nearer man in the arm. "Scoot over." Nothing happened. "Oh well." Tseng forced his frame farther into the RV's corner and made a few inches of room for the girl.

Elena wiggled into the space and leaned a shoulder against the RV's back wall, their faces just inches apart. "Commander, about earlier..." Now that she was on the floor, shoulder to shoulder with Tseng, Elena found she couldn't look at him. "I owe you an apology…"

"Elena!" Tseng cut her off. "You're a Turk. Never apologize. Others will see it as a sign of weakness."

"Sir?" Elena hung her head.

Tseng sighed. This wasn't how he wanted her to look. "Here." He snaked his arm behind her head and pulled her into his side. "Better?" The girl nodded rather reluctantly, Tseng thought, but she felt good leaning against him. "You should know that I have feelings for you, Elena, but this has all happened so fast…" Tseng shook his head. "When I saw you wounded earlier, I got a little carried away. I hope you understand."

Elena stiffened and looked up in alarm. "Then, what did you think when I told you I loved you?"

Tseng raised a finger and tapped the girl on the nose. "You were out the door before the words were out of my mouth." At her puzzled expression, Tseng relented, pulled her closer to him, and bent his head to hers. He breathed the words into her mouth. "What you didn't hear, and what you _should_ have heard, was… I love you, too." With that he kissed her passionately and ran his fingers to the webbings in her hair. Elena's free arm snaked behind Tseng's head.

"Wait!" Elena pulled back, startled. "You did say you loved me, right?!"

Tseng smiled, laughed slightly, then nodded. "Yes, I said it. Do you want to hear it again?"

"Yes! Please!"

Tseng nodded, and his face lit with a smile. "Elena, Turk-trainee, I, your befuddled boss…" he kissed her lightly on the lips, "love," another light kiss, "you," a deep, passionate kiss. "You do know I'm considerably _older_ than you, right?" Elena shrugged and nodded. "And that doesn't bother you?"

With an impish grin and a spark in her eyes Tseng wasn't sure he liked—a portent of things to come, perhaps?—Elena answered his question. "No. Just means you'll find me fascinating for years to come."

"Oh-h." He gave Elena an eyebrow arch. "Hm. Maybe so." Tseng hugged Elena close, kissed her in earnest, and thought to himself. Maybe he had finally found that dear friend, lover, and assistant he'd always wished for. Time would tell. For now, this was really good…

Cccccccccccccccccc

(5:30 am, Mideel—Mideel Base; 3:00 am, Midgar; 11:00 pm, Gongaga; 7:00 pm, Wutai)

"Jack, could you come over here and look at this for a minute?" Private "Wally" Walters had just sat at the console of the new surveillance equipment for monitoring the grounds outside Mideel Base. He'd heard that the Turks had been installing the equipment at all the Soldier bases worldwide, though at Wutai it'd still been in the shipping crates when the war broke out. Here at Mideel Base, it was Walters' first chance to try out the new equipment. Procedure said if you didn't recognize something to sound the alarm, but Walters knew that he didn't know the surrounding area, so he called his cohort, Private Jack Cubbins over to look too. "Jack, is this something in the picture? Can you tell?"

"What?" Cubbins tilted his head at the image. "Well, it looks like a helicopter, but there could be a chopper out there, I suppose." It didn't look like a military helicopter, much less a civilian Shinra chopper either. It did look dark, hidden.

Suddenly, a large—large as in flabby—man walked across the scene and momentarily blocked out the helicopter. "Now that's just wrong! Nobody should be outside the perimeter! Jack, call the MPs! I'm getting the officer of the watch on the horn!"

**A/N—I've noticed something about Bjanik and Angeal Valentine and how they write. They both identify closely with a particular FFVII character—for Bjanik, it's (usually) Sephiroth, for AV it's Vincent Valentine—and both have inserted OCs in their stories (and mine!) that represent themselves—Tessa and Kamui, respectively. My assumption was that I would probably do something similar, but it took me a long time to realize just which FFVII character it was that I identified with. Turns out, it's Tseng! Truly fascinating—I think it's his analytical mind I really like. I'm not sure though if I have an OC who's really me. I'm afraid it may be either or both the Dr. Caperton character or Vanessa-7 and that has me a bit puzzled, even concerned. Well, at least Vanessa-7 is no longer the ditz she was when she first entered the story…**

**Anyway… I was just wondering if any of you have noticed similar occurrences in any of your writings. I'd appreciate your comments on the subject. Thanks for reading.**


	35. Threats

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—It's interesting that taking two weeks to post is resulting in longer than normal chapters, half-again as long as they were before. Hm… Does that say that I should be splitting these up and posting weekly? I'm not sure, but I think these chapters are better than my weekly chapters were.**

(7:30-8:00 pm, Wutai—Wutai Base; 5:30-6:00 am, Mideel; 3:30-4:00 am, Midgar; 11:30 pm - midnight, Gongaga)

Bill Wallace Jr. turned to the army sergeant in charge of the base communications center. "Are we ready, Dawkins?"

"No problem at all, sir." The sergeant knew better than to ask too many questions of officers. Just follow his orders: (1) set up a camera in the interrogation room; (2) prep a split screen broadcast to include input from the interrogation room and an off-island signal; (3) override the Wutai television system; (4) broadcast to the entire island and to the com centers at the other bases. Sounded complicated. In actuality, it hadn't been hard at all. It was Dawkins' specialty. True, the take-over of Wutai television hadn't been easy—five years ago when he had actually been the head of the team that had done it—but now all that was needed to preempt local television was the flip of a switch.

"All right. We're a go. Notify the colonel. Move the prisoner. Signal the other bases that we're ready."

"Yes, sir." Dawkins knew he shouldn't ask, but he just couldn't help himself. "Sir, if I may, why are we broadcasting to the _entire island?_"

Wallace laughed softly. "Because we want the emperor to be _sure_ to get the message…"

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(5:30-6:00 am, Mideel—Mideel Base; 7:30-8:00 pm, Wutai; 3:30-4:00 am, Midgar; 11:30 pm-midnight, Gongaga)

"There, it's in position. Now I want you to concentrate with me on the materia. It should help to move the materia in the correct direction—inward, toward the uterus and the baby, across the cervix. On three: one… two… three. Cure2." Tessa Romera lay on her back on her hospital bed with her knees raised. Dr. Caperton could barely see the tiny bit of materia just beyond the spacula he'd placed inside Tessa's vagina, but with the imposition of their wills, the green materia fingers bloomed, spread across the cervix, and sealed it. Leonard Caperton found he was holding his breath. This was the most _unorthodox_ treatment he'd ever tried on a pregnant woman! By all rights he should be prepping Tessa for a C-section, but labor had definitely ended, and he had materia available to him—unusual in a hospital setting! It was true he'd tried some unorthodox treatments with cure materia on battlefields in Wutai, but this was definitely different! Looks pretty good though. Caperton found he could breathe again. "Good. That looks good."

"You think it worked?" Tessa Romera had willed the materia to move inside her, to heal the breached membranes and replenish the amniotic fluid bathing the baby.

"Well, so _far_ so good. I'd like to re-examine you in a few hours; perhaps do another cure at that time. I think this materia treatment worked, but let's just be safe."

Tessa nodded. "Fine." Tessa could feel Dr. Caperton remove the metal spacula from her body, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Better. The darn thing was uncomfortable. "So, Leonard?" Tessa lowered her knees to the bed and sat up. "What's the verdict?"

Dr. Caperton looked up from his bent-over exam position, lowered his mask, and tugged off a thin, rubber glove. "To be honest with you, Tessa, I don't know why you're not _still_ in labor." At Tessa's look of consternation, the doctor relented. "But you're not… The fetal monitors all show normal readings for the fifth month of pregnancy. I've drawn samples for an amnio, and we'll get a reading of both your and the baby's mako levels soon. The head of the hospital has her lab staff in now specifically to run these tests. As I said on the way over here, I'd like to start you on a regimen of antibiotics, just to be safe. Your body's been through a great deal, and I don't want to have you come down with an infection in addition to everything else that's happened."

"Sensible. For the near term, that is…" Tessa nodded then looked thoughtful. "Leonard, I know you cautioned me not to get pregnant again immediately, to let my body heal before we tried again, but will there be problems with me _getting_ pregnant? There'll be scarring around the cervix from the operation. The baby's and my mako levels were so divergent before I went into the tube."

"There could be a problem. I'm not completely certain, though. Yes, there's a little scarring, and it _may_ be more difficult for you to get pregnant after this, but it should be possible nonetheless. Yes, there _was_ a growing difference in your mako levels, but you were carrying _two_ children when those measurements were made." He took a deep breath. "The part I worry about more with _you_ is that you will be a candidate for pre-term labor in _every_ pregnancy you have in the future. You'll have to be monitored regularly and often."

"Premature labor." Not carrying a healthy child to term hadn't entered her mind when she had first become pregnant, wanted to be pregnant. Now the idea scared her. And how was she going to tell Sephiroth? Or did he already suspect? Was that why he had asked if she "blamed him"?

"Tessa, when we first did your medical history, I asked if twinning ran in your family or the General's and you said 'no.'"

"That's right. There are no twins in my family. There are none in his father's family's either. We don't know much about Sephiroth's mother's family, however—nearly nothing, actually." Tessa had an uncomfortable suspicion about the direction of Caperton's question. "You're thinking about the Jenova DNA, aren't you, Leonard?"

"Identical twins don't typically run in families although fraternal twinning _can_ run in the maternal line."

"Yes, yes, I know all that! Let me guess, though. You're suggesting that the Jenova DNA in my husband's code may be resulting in _multiple births?!_"

"It _is_ a possibility, isn't it?"

"I suppose," Tessa shook her head. "Even _so_…"

"_Even_ so, we need to know more about Jenovan biology to determine how it will affect your future pregnancies, much less how it will affect your children." Caperton paused. He wasn't sure she was listening. "Tessa, did you hear me?"

Tessa sighed and shook her head slightly. One of those pesky Lifestream voices was trying to get her attention—something about records. "There might be more records about Jenova in Shinra somewhere. I've looked, but Shinra is so big and secretive it's hard to know where to look, or what to look for… much less get access." She looked back at Caperton. "I don't know what to tell you, Leonard. I've looked. I'll look some more _and_ reexamine my husband's code, see what I can make of it."

"I guess that's all I can ask of you." He wasn't sure why he was pressing her on this matter, but… "Tessa, I do think the likelihood that you will have multiple embryos again is high. It's just a feeling, though. I have no scientific basis for it, if that's at all reassuring."

"You're worried that human bodies weren't made to bear partially Jenovan babies." Tessa smiled ruefully. "You're not half as worried about that as I am. Now." Tessa knew she'd have to face the possibility of carrying multiple children again and its implications: possibly more stagnant mako and future immersions in mako solution, early labor, even very small, underweight, premature babies. She made a mental note to have Vincent check her for stagnant mako. He seemed to have an affinity for it, after all. Was that a "gift" of Chaos?

"No, I suppose not." Caperton turned to leave. "Well, anyway, you still haven't had a chance to get cleaned up. There's a shower here if you think you'll be able to use it, or I can have someone bathe you. While you do that, I'll go order the antibiotics—and some vitamins too!—and be back shortly."

Tessa smiled gently. "Thanks. I _will_ try the shower… I see _you_ got cleaned up already."

"Yes, while you and the General slept, I took a shower and checked on that prisoner." Tessa nodded. "Now, after the injections, I want you to sleep, certainly the rest of the day, maybe the rest of the week! I certainly want to!"

"Half of me wants to sleep. The other half wants to get up and get to work. I'd really like to know how Glenn is faring with the lab in my absence."

"He'll either be just fine or pulling his hair out." Tessa laughed softly. The doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "Now, I want you to promise me that if _anything_ goes wrong while I'm gone, you'll hit that call button. I'll just be a few minutes."

Tessa nodded. "Sure."

Cccccccccccccccccc

Cloud sighed and shuddered with pleasure. He hadn't realized that just being clean after a horrendous battle would feel like such a luxury! While Dr. Caperton examined Dr. Romera, Cloud had escaped to the doctors' lounge back on the third floor for a much-needed shower and change of clothes. With the hot water running over his body, he could feel his tight muscles relax, unwind. If this kept up much longer, he'd be asleep where he stood!

Cloud leaned to prop his hands against the shower wall on either side of the controls and turned his face to the stream. Oh-h even better! He let the events of the past few hours wash over his mind. Yesterday morning back in his room in Midgar, he'd been worried that his career in Soldier was over; now he was pulling personal protection detail on the General's wife—protecting her again after he'd lost her out of her tube two days ago!

It had started with the orders texted to him by Zack to get to transport #36 on the departure field—"NOW." Cloud had run without any of his gear except his Baby Buster. Upon his arrival, his fellow Soldiers had laughed and kidded him then had contributed individual items to get him supplied. On the transport he'd learned that while most of Soldier was going to Rocket Town for deployment to Wutai, the troops on #36 had been handpicked by the General for this special mission to Mideel! _Whoa, wait a minute!_ Cloud's eyes jerked open in surprise. How about that?! This "special mission" was an example of a military principal he'd been studying in class: always be where the enemy doesn't expect you! The General was renowned for doing that! Wo-ow! He was making history!

That's right! From Midgar they'd flown west with the other transports—to put off any spies who might be watching the General's movements—until somewhere over open water north of Costa del Sol—and far from land and prying eyes—their transport had abruptly about-faced and headed for Junon. At Junon Base they'd deplaned and reloaded on the oddest airship Cloud had ever seen. It had looked so pieced together that Cloud had expected it to crash to the ground; indeed, most Soldiers slept through takeoffs and landings to minimize the effects of crashes, but Cloud had stayed awake worrying. When it had finally got in the air, however, the junker ship had proven to be twice as fast as any normal Shinra airship! That ship let the General be anywhere in the world he wanted to be before anyone knew it! I got it! I got it! _Cool!_

Come to think of it, just after takeoff from Junon had been the last time he'd slept! They'd landed at Mideel Base briefly to take on more Soldiers, been briefed on the latest reports from the Turks—that there were hundreds of clones and monsters awaiting them—then had short hopped to an orchard called "Banora." On that hop, Cloud had heard a rumor that the General had been unwell earlier, but upon landing there had been enemies to fight and the General'd seemed fine—except he'd died—Cloud hadn't seen it, but he'd heard it happened. Cloud shook his head. How could something like that have happened, anyway? But if it could happen it would probably be the General that it would happen to! Hm. Must have been while I was fighting that clone...

Cloud had been in fights with monsters before, but somehow those encounters hadn't been as horrifying as his fight with Angeal Hewley, Zack's old friend. That damn Hewley had taunted Zack, even poisoned him, then left him for dead! How could anyone who had ever claimed they were your friend do something like that to you?! Cloud had destroyed Hewley—for Zack. Cloud could feel himself suddenly shake—he'd never killed a fellow Soldier before, even a clone of a dead Soldier. He never wanted to again, either! Cloud let the water pound on his back and thighs. Perhaps it would relieve his shaking. Would anything remove from his memory, though, the sight of Hewley's blood and organs fanning out in a wide, thick arc as the full-up Buster Sword he had wielded nearly cut the man in two? He'd have to ask Zack how he'd gotten over killing Hewley. It sure bothered Cloud, he realized, and he hadn't even known Angeal Hewley!

Gradually the shakes passed, and Cloud again felt the warmth of the pounding water. How long could he stand here? How long did it take a doctor to examine a pregnant woman, anyway? Damn. Probably not as long as this shower! Cloud turned the control lever to "off," dried himself with a towel hanging outside the stall, then wrapped it about his narrow waist. He was about to step out onto the lounge floor when the door to the doctor's facilities opened. What the…?! He'd been sure he'd set the sign to "occupied." Whoever it was hadn't even knocked… "Who is it?!"

"What?! Oh, sorry." Cloud heard the door close. He rushed to the entrance and jerked the door open to stick out his head and glare at whomever had disturbed him. The nurse who'd pointed him to the doctor's lounge and shower had said he wouldn't be bothered and to take his time—how wrong she'd been! His glare was ineffectual, however. Two male orderlies in pastel scrubs were walking down the hall with their backs to him. No one else was in sight.

"Hmph. Illiterate idiots are everywhere, I guess." Cloud sighed, dressed in peach-colored scrubs ("Hope nobody sees me in this."), added his back sheath, and tied on his boots (he wasn't about to wear those little hospital booties—too cute for words and no traction at all if he had to fight!). He raked his fingers through his hair, and with a glance at himself in a mirror ("Yikes, mini-spikes!"), sheathed his Baby Buster, gathered his combat clothes under his left arm, and left the lounge. Upon emerging, he spotted the nurse he'd spoken to earlier. "Ma'am, I thought you said nobody would come in?!"

The small, brown-haired woman looked at Cloud in surprise. "Somebody came in? Who?!"

"Two guys, a pair of orderlies…" Looking about, Cloud tried to spot the men. "Hunh. They're gone."

"Two male orderlies, did you say? I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. We don't have male nurses or orderlies in maternity—against hospital policy, you know."

"But…" Cloud stood dumbfounded for just a moment then turned and ran for the stairwell next to the elevator shaft. He just knew something was wrong!

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(7:30-8:00 pm, Wutai—Tamblin Fortress; 5:30-6:00 am, Mideel—Mideel Base; 3:30-4:00 am, Midgar; 11:30 pm-midnight, Gongaga)

"Your majesty! Look at this!"

On a television monitor in his command center, Emperor Godo of Wutai saw something utterly horrifying—the ruination of his hopes and dreams! On the right half of a split screen was his daughter. Yuffie's face was bruised, and she was seated before a Soldier who held a knife at her throat. That the knife-wielder was Carlos Griegos, commander of Shinra's Wutai Base, barely registered on Godo's mind, though he'd met the man many times. The left half of the screen held the face of Sephiroth, the head of Soldier. Sephiroth was talking right to him! Something about terms? _What?!_

"Shinra's terms are these, _Godo:_ the _immediate_ end to the attack on Wutai Base, and the complete _surrender_ of all your forces at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, Wutai time. Otherwise, your stated reason for this rebellion [and here Carlos Griegos pressed the knife edge firmly against the princess' throat causing a thin line of blood to run down her neck] _will be dead_. So… What will it be, _Godo?_ Your _rebellion_ or your daughter? We'll know your answer when the artillery barrages end. Remember _she's_ under fire at the base, too…" The screen suddenly filled with only Sephiroth's face. "One more thing… If you're counting on Genesis Rhapsodos to aid you, you can forget it. I destroyed him myself earlier tonight. _New Banora is mine_. _He_ got no _terms_ whatsoever." The screen went blank.

Godo's face went red and horror flashed across his mind. He gulped air, leaned over, and gripped the edge of the table in the Tamblin command center. When had he started thinking of Sephiroth as a _man?!_ He _truly_ was a silver-haired monster, a demon-god, straight out of folklore and legend! YUFFIE!! No, he couldn't lose Yuffie—so brave, so beautiful, _so like her mother!_ She hadn't flinched even the tiniest bit when the knife cut her throat; he was so _proud _of her… "Cease fire," he mumbled.

"Majesty?" One of his commanders took a step toward the emperor.

"I said, 'CEASE FIRE'!" The emperor shouted and turned his head toward the man—Akita, the glory seeker. Yes, _he_ would object.

The room erupted in pandemonium.

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(5:30-6:00 am, Mideel—Mideel Base; 7:30-8:00 pm, Wutai—Wutai Base; 3:30-4:00 am, Midgar; 11:30 pm-midnight, Gongaga)

Standing before Malik's world wall-map in the command center at Mideel Base, Sephiroth estimated travel times and distances. He'd given Godo twelve hours to surrender—that was the normal straight flying time from Mideel Base to Wutai Base—but, he had an advantage. That experimental airship could travel twice as fast as any normal airship on Gaia. He had six hours to be somewhere he wasn't expected. Hm. He stretched his left hand wide across the map. Yes. There. That would do.

"Za…" Sephiroth stopped himself. It wasn't Zack behind him acting as his second. It was Malik. Damn. He missed Zack's steady presence at his side. Steady? When had he started thinking of Zack as "steady"? Niven was "steady." Usually "emotional," "exuberant," even "loving," applied to Zack. He wanted Zack with him. He'd need Zack, especially if Tessa were coming along. He'd said he'd take her with him to Rocket Town, but then, he wasn't going to Rocket Town!

"Malik," Sephiroth looked over his shoulder at the Mideel commander. "As soon as they arrive, I want my team from Midgar reloaded on Highwind's airship. Contact that pilot and ascertain his status."

"Sir." Malik nodded, stepped across the room to a phone, and made the call. He was back in seconds to stand behind his commander as Sephiroth continued his examination of the maps on the wall. "Seph, Highwind's unhappy about having to take off again so soon, but he says he'll be ready." At Sephiroth's distracted nod, Malik decided to try his luck. "Seph, I know I'm needed here, but I'd like to request permission to accompany you on that expedition."

Sephiroth laughed softly. "Yes, you are needed here." He turned to face Malik. "Tell me, though, just how good is this civilian second you've got standing in for Barnes?"

"Good enough for a few days."

"Fine. You'll come along, at least 'for a few days'." Sephiroth smiled grimly. "I know, Malik. Just like Gavin, you can't stand to be left out of the action…" Trouble was, action in plenty could be about to be had.

Suddenly the screen from Wutai Base came alive. "General!" It was Carlos Griegos—shouting. "General! The shelling of the base has stopped! For the first time in three days there's _silence_ at Wutai Base!"

"Mal, get the other bases on the horn."

"Seph!" Carlos looked as though he were about to jump through the screen. "I request permission to go above ground and secure my perimeter!"

The other base screens came alive: Sam Kuhn and John Nichols at Rocket Town, Bill Wallace Sr. at Gold Saucer, and Gavin McIntyre in Midgar. Sephiroth waited just a minute for them all to come on line before giving Carlos his orders. "Everyone. Carlos has just reported that the shelling has stopped at Wutai Base! Go ahead, colonel. Secure your perimeter. Take out the missile sites, though be ready for booby traps and assassins and secure the heights in the region. Just remember, Carlos, things can still go wrong in Wutai. Don't let your guard down." Sephiroth glanced at his other commanders. "Sam, I want you to continue the invasion preparations as if nothing had changed. The surrender deadline is still twelve hours away." All the men glanced at clocks and made the calculation for the deadline. Just over twelve hours: 8 am in Wutai, 6 pm in Mideel, 4 pm in Midgar. The ball was now in the emperor's court. How would he play it?

"Seph? May I ask a question?"

Sephiroth glanced at Gavin McIntyre's screen. "Go ahead, Gavin." Somewhere in the back of his brain, Sephiroth noted that McIntyre had less hair on his upper lip. Good.

McIntyre drew a deep breath. He wasn't entirely sure where this could lead; Seph might not even answer the question. "You expect Godo to surrender, don't you? You didn't really need to have him in custody. It was always the _princess_." Sephiroth didn't respond. "Seph? Just let me know if I'm out of line with this one…"

"Gavin. All I can tell you is—it's a gamble. While threatening the girl, and doing so in front of the entire country, might strengthen _Wutai's_ resolve to fight, _Godo_ might just back down. I think he will, if I read him right. While he's chafed under Shinra's rule, I doubt he'd have started this war without Genesis' interference—Godo _basically_ accepts Shinra's control. He started this, however, in order to guarantee that his daughter would rule independent of Shinra. What he could accept for himself, he could not accept for her. Without her, and without Genesis' prodding, he has no real reason to continue."

"Interesting… So you _do_ believe he'll surrender?"

Sephiroth nodded then looked down at the control panels before him without really seeing them. "If I've learned _one thing_ from the last few days with Tessa's and the baby's lives on the line, it's that I would sacrifice _everything—anything—_for my loved ones, and the baby hasn't even been born yet." Sephiroth looked back at the screens of his commanders. The fathers in the group, Sam Kuhn and Bill Sr., were nodding thoughtfully in agreement. "I'm rather expecting _Godo_ to feel the same way."

Sephiroth stiffened slightly. "Godo recognized that vulnerability in me and tried to exploit it by siding with Genesis in order to give his daughter an independent future. Whether Shinra will allow Wutai's limited independence to continue after this—hmph—isn't _my_ decision." He found himself wishing for Tseng's viewpoint on the imperial family—have to get in touch with those guys and light a fire under them. _Vincent, hurry up!_

…_Keep your pantyhose on. We're about thirty miles out and moving as fast as these vehicles can go! Any faster and your military trucks won't be able to keep up!_

_Move it!_

Sephiroth took a deep breath to center and returned his attention to McIntyre's screen. "If you were to ask me, Gavin, if I were forced to choose between duty to Shinra, to Soldier, and the lives of my family, I can tell you that _there would be no choice."_ The corner of his mouth twitched in a half-smile. All heads rose. "You don't have to worry, Gavin. There will be no 'either/ors' as long as I live. _I_ will have _everything_." Sephiroth laughed softly. "You should all know that I number Soldier in the collective body of 'my loved ones'."

The corners of Sephiroth's mouth quirked in an evil smile. His commanders stiffened; that smile was an ominous, foreboding sight. "Of course, as far as this little war of Godo's is concerned, anything can go wrong at anytime, so we will continue the preparations for the invasion." Sephiroth smiled again; yes, they could well need to invade yet. "Any other questions?" Not a sound could be heard. "All right. Mideel Base out."

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(7:30-8:00 pm, Wutai—Tamblin Fortress; 5:30-6:00 am, Mideel; 3:30-4:00 am, Midgar; 11:30 pm-midnight, Gongaga)

"Your Imperial Majesty! You can't surrender! You can't _give up!_ The entire country is prepared for this war! Everything is in position! Everyone is ready! The time for this rebellion is _now!_ Now, before Shinra has driven us into the ground completely! _It's too late_ to back down from those Shinra dogs!"

Godo looked with anger at his top commander, General Makoto Akita. The man was insane! The room had exploded at Godo's announcement. Akita wasn't alone in his objections; he was just the most vocal. Godo put his face inches from Akita; control him, and the rest would be quiet. "This war is _all_ for _Yuffie_," Godo growled quietly. "For the future. _Without her,_ there is_ no reason to continue!_ She is the heart and soul of this country, and she is the only heir to the throne of Wutai!" Godo glared at Akita, his teeth clenched. "I want to go on the air in half an hour. Contact the demons. Let them know I'm going make a statement. _They won't want to miss it."_

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(5:30-6:00 am, Mideel—Mideel Base; 7:30-8:00 pm, Wutai; 3:30-4:00 am, Midgar; 11:30 pm-midnight, Gongaga)

Like Cloud, Tessa, too, stood in the shower with the water hitting her lower back, but Tessa barely felt its heat. Instead she curled her arms under her stomach as if cradling the baby to her. There. And there again. It was the first time she'd felt the baby kick since she'd awakened! "Good morning. I hope you're feeling better this morning. I know I am, little one. Lucy. Are you wondering, like I am, what's for breakfast? After all, we haven't eaten anything but mako in, what, a week?"

Tessa thought again about that Lifestream voice she'd heard during her conversation with Leonard. Something about Shinra records and Jenova. Somewhere. She'd have to try and pursue that voice. It would take some time—maybe she'd hear it again in her sleep. Just have to protect you, Lucy. We'll have to find out everything we can about Jenova—and you… She wondered briefly when Sephiroth would be back and when he would want to leave for Rocket Town. Probably shortly for both. She considered briefly not going to sleep. It would be like him to leave her peacefully asleep while he went off to his war. She frowned. Not that she would let him!

Suddenly a noise came to Tessa's ears. It sounded like the outside door to her room closing; Leonard must be back with the antiobiotics. She turned off the controls and reached for the towel. The sooner she got the antibiotics, the safer Lucy would be. Next she reached for the fresh hospital gown and terry-cloth robe she'd been left. She wound another towel about her hair and threw it over the top of her head. At least her hair wasn't clacking with dried mako any longer.

Tessa stepped from the tiny bathroom. "Leonard, that was qui…" She froze, gasped, then reached out a hand. Poor Leonard was out cold on the floor! The back of his head was bloody, and two loaded syringes had rolled away from a tray near his hand.

Suddenly Tessa felt herself jerked backward against a hard body. An arm pressed itself around her right shoulder holding a knife to her throat, while another arm held her left shoulder. "Don't move. Don't make a sound."

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"Fools. How long are they going to keep me here anyway?" Vester Hollander sat on an examining table in his temporary cell in the basement of Mideel Base Hospital. That damned doctor had come and examined him, pronounced him fit, then left him to fume. "Damn it!" His sons were dead now, Genesis Rhapsodos and his reincarnated Angeal Hewley. He'd never forgive Shinra for that! Sephiroth! _You, spawn of Jenova!_ When you offered your blood as a transfusion for Genesis on that horrible day when he nearly lost that arm, maybe I should have allowed it instead of transfusing only Angeal's blood. Maybe then Genesis would have had enough Jenova tissue to survive!

Have to get out of here. Hollander knew Shinra wouldn't let him live. Not for long, anyway. He knew where too many secrets were kept, too many skeletons buried. Hell, he'd buried many of them himself! He'd have some unfortunate accident, maybe die in his sleep, of all things. The Turks would see to it… Shinra's _precious_ _Sephiroth,_ _the great_ w_ar hero!_ It should have been Genesis and Angeal, never _Hojo _and his Sephiroth! Hojo's laughter still rang through Hollander's mind. Laughing at him. Laughing at his sons. Vester Hollander suddenly paused in his ruminations and laughed softly himself. "How ironic, Hojo. You were killed by your own creation. Londo Shinra, too." He'd heard that Sephiroth had killed Hojo from the bug on Londo Shinra. Presumably Sephiroth had killed Old Man Shinra as well, though the recordings from the bug had been indistinct, just a whoosh before the transmission ended. Suddenly he and Genesis had been cut off, isolated, again. But Old Man Shinra's death had signaled the time to put their plans in action. Gather all Shinra's enemies in one great alliance—Wutai, Deepground, and Banora.

Wutai. Sephiroth would deal with Wutai as he had in the past—it was only a matter of time. Hollander had no confidence in Godo's individual ability to hold off Sephiroth for longer than a few months at most—but they would be a precious few months. Yes, Sephiroth—damn him!—would deal with Wutai, as he'd dealt with New Banora. That left only Deepground—hopefully Argento was still alive. If she were alive, then there was a possibility that she might be carrying Genesis' child. Genesis had thought she might be. Have to get out of here. Back to Midgar!

"_Damn it!"_ Hollander shook his head, clenched his fists, and pounded them on his thighs. He'd been _so_ close! He and Genesis and Angeal had been so close! But no matter. He would start over _again,_ rebuild his sons, both of them this time. He'd hidden their tissue samples away in New Banora. No one would find them. All he needed were his samples, a lab, and Jenova tissue. He'd have to have Jenova tissue to make his sons even stronger than before…

Suddenly gunfire rang out. "What?!" Hollander ran across the room and grasped the bars in the tiny window in his cell door trying to see. A face looked back at him through the bars. "Dr. Hollander? Mr. Hutchins sent us. We're getting you out. We have to go now! One of the guards got off a shot. _They'll_ be coming."

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Private Walters paced outside the main communications room. He'd been waiting for what seemed forever for the brass to finish their teleconference to tell the colonel about the helicopter. Walters' head jerked up. What?! Jack Cubbins was running toward him from the other end of the hall!

"Wally! We just got a report! There's gunfire near the base's south entrance! Where's the colonel?"

"He's still inside on a teleconference with the General. Damn!" Walters could feel the color leave his face. He turned to look back through the small window in the room's door. Previously all he'd seen was the back of the colonel's head. Now, though, the colonel had stepped aside, and the _General_ was approaching the door! Guess he wouldn't have to interrupt…

"Sir!" Walters and Cubbins came to frozen, glassy-eyed salutes as the door swung open.

"At ease, army." Sephiroth stopped. He could tell from their rigidity that something was wrong—and that he wasn't going to like it. "Report."

"Sir, uh, sirs!" Walters, the closer of the two privates, snapped off another salute in Malik's direction. "Yes, sir! We've just had a report that there's gunfire coming from the direction of the base's south entrance, and there's a non-army helicopter sitting over a rise outside the south fence line. Sirs, we're under attack!"

Malik blanched. "Seph, that's near the hospital!"

"Move!" Sephiroth was gone almost before Malik heard his words.

Malik called over his shoulder to his two privates. "Swords, people! Everyone to the south entrance! Now!" Malik pulled out his PHS and issued similar orders to his civilian acting-second as he ran to keep up with his commander.

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(6:00 am, Mideel—Apple Town; 8:00 pm, Wutai; 4:00 am, Midgar; midnight, Gongaga)

Finally, everyone was gone. A black-clad, strawberry-blond woman got out of a small, black sports car hidden in the shadows of some trees, made her way across the road, and over Apple Town's white-painted fence to stand in the small grove of trees from which Reno and his fellow Turks had surveyed the Apple Town administration building earlier. She studied it as well. Vanessa-1 hoped Shinra had left something behind, for her.

**A/N—Well, NaNoWriMo is over for another year. I just wanted to congratulate all of you who took on the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days, and especially those of you who accomplished this feat! I'm sure I couldn't turn off my "inner editor" to do this, so NaNoWriMo is not for me! AV produced ~52k by 11/29/08 and has since started a sequel—it's her first original manuscript! Congratulations again!**


	36. Sleepless in Wutai

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—When I got to the end of the "Battle of Banora" chapters, I thought I was close to the end of "Part II." It was at that point that Bjanik requested the "Yuffie and Jens" story. That very night—months ago—I wrote the first draft of the first scene of this chapter—long before I ever wrote the rape scene or the scene where Sephiroth threatened Godo. I've known for months this chapter was coming, and now it's here. **

**I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter out. Between the holidays, writing parallel stories, and getting inside Makoto Akita's head, I thought this would never get finished! Chapter 36 returns to Wutai.**

(8:00 pm, Wutai—Wutai Base; 6:00 am, Mideel; 4:00 am, Midgar; midnight, Gongaga)

Yuffie sat hunched on the cot in her cell, her arms wrapped tightly around her. Her upper lip curled in a snarl, and she rocked agitatedly back and forth. That bastard Turk had hurt her! She wanted to break him into a million pieces, rip out his intestines with her bare hands, pull off his gonads and stuff them into his mouth. _There was no punishment brutal enough for the bastard!_ She smiled grimly. That was why she had demanded the "victim's revenge," under Wutai law. The Shinra demons would probably not give it to her, but… Five minutes, a knife, and the bound rapist in front of her sounded just fine to Yuffie. She forced herself to stop rocking, sit very still, and remember.

After the attack, Akita had taken her back to her cell. A doctor had come and very gently—yes, she had to admit everyone had been gentle with her _since_ the attack—had examined her, taken some samples, and performed a cure to ease the pain. One of the officers who had questioned her earlier, the second-in-command she believed, had come and asked her questions which she hadn't answered. He had said the bastard would be prosecuted—that he'd end up in jail if she cooperated. Yuffie shook her head. That sounded like a long process—she wanted him dead right now! Finally, everyone had left her alone—until they'd marched her in front of a television camera and stuck a knife to her throat! That was one thing about being raped—when the enemy pressed a knife to your throat and cut you, _you just didn't feel it!_

From outside her cell, she had heard excitement. The Soldiers were happy. Yuffie ground her teeth at that thought. It seemed the shelling of the base had stopped. What would her father do next? _Would_ he surrender in twelve hours as the demongod had dictated? Would Shinra release her as they'd indicated? She just didn't know. She started rocking again.

"He-ey? You okay?"

Yuffie's head jerked up. It was him! Akita. Again. He was peeking around the edge of her cell wall holding something toward her in his hand. She jerked her head and glared. "No-o!"

The young Soldier sighed. "I know you probably don't want to see anybody at all right now, but…" Jens looked down at his hand and pursed his lips for an instant. "I thought maybe you might like this." "This" was half his dinner—in fact, his favorite half. Jens had forgotten he'd shoved it into his pocket when he and Jerry had run to the cellblock earlier. Jens pushed his hand between the cell bars, bent his knees, and set a shiny, orange something on the floor. "I gotta go." Jens' cheeks flared with color. "I'm sorry…" He half ran away.

Yuffie sat alone again staring at where Akita had stood at the edge of her cell. After a while a hint of a smile flitted across her face; had Akita just tried to be _nice_ to her? She slowly stood and then bent and grasped the shiny object the young man had left. Yuffie turned the long, rather squished thing over in her fingers and examined it. It seemed to be some kind of food in one of those pressed wrappers Shinra made. Yuffie eased her aching body back onto her cot and continued to examine the object. Her eyebrows came down in consternation. Usually Shinra food wasn't terribly good—too full of processed scraps and no nutrients. Wutainese tried not to eat Shinra food unless it was absolutely necessary, but _he_ had left it. He had saved, if not her life, at least her sanity. All right. Let's see… She wasn't quite sure how to open the thing, but… there. Rip the end. Pull the edges apart.

Yuffie tilted her head to examine the contents. Was it a _bread_, maybe? Something baked certainly. A wonderful aroma came to her nose—unlike other Shinra food. Yuffie nibbled a corner of the brown "bread." Um-m. Oh, it was good! She took a full bite… chewed and swallowed… then another. She smiled slightly, felt a tear slide down her cheek, and looked up at where the Soldier had stood. Something inside Yuffie relaxed—ever so slightly. She whispered, "thank you… Akita."

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Since the attack on the princess, the pictures from the hidden television cameras in her cell had been routed to the base command center as well as to the cellblock guards' station. Carlos Griegos stared at the monitor showing the princess' cell. "What the…?" With his limited Wutainese, Griegos wasn't completely sure what the pair had said to each other, but clearly Yuffie Kisaragi was eating the Tessa bar Akita had left her! "Bill! Are you watching this?" Griegos called his question over his shoulder to his second then shook his head in wonder. "Akita, I'll say it again. _You_ are brilliant."

"Yes, I'm watching." Having viewed the episode from over the colonel's shoulder, Bill Wallace shook his head too. "He may be brilliant, but I think he's also a genuinely kind young man."

"Yes… _Yes, he is. _ At least _he_ can get her to talk to him." Griegos looked at his second. "I want him to spend more time with her. Re-arrange his schedule and make it so. I know he'll hate it—he's a talented young fighter—but take him off his missile-site assault team. Replace him with Aman. Oh, and keep Akita _supplied_ with Tessa bars—my share, if you have to."

"Yes, sir."

Griegos smiled a bit ruefully; he'd miss his Tessa bars. "All right. Where do we stand on troops to take out the launch sites?" The two officers crossed the command center to the white board; it was once again covered in troop-assignment and supply lists.

"We're in good shape unless you want to make further changes to the personnel assignments." Wallace wiped a finger through Jens Akita's name on the white board and wrote in "Jerry Aman."

The two officers had discussed whom they would send if they ever got the chance to attack the launch sites; when they'd made their lists, the exercise had seemed largely academic, just a way to pass the time while under fire. Now, however, the plans had to be put into operation. The teams to take out the sites had been selected days ago, and their gathered gear sat in a staging area. The biggest sticking point was a surprising one, however. The General had recognized the missile sites to be "baited traps" during Griegos' first message to Midgar and therefore the Soldiers had stayed underground. Now the time had come, however, to take over those sites. Included on the personnel lists were the names of two people Griegos didn't have actual command authority over but whom he needed to counter any traps, Analog _and Digital_. He'd spoken to An; she was certainly willing to help. Digital, however, was under guard and awaiting trial for his attack on Princess Yuffie. Griegos hated that he was even considering letting Digital out to help with this project. Bastard deserved what he was getting. Hell, he _deserved_ the "victim's revenge" the princess had demanded! Either way, with _three_ sites to take out, Griegos needed Digital's _services_. An would be hard put to deal with all the traps at all three sites simultaneously.

Griegos gazed at the lists and shook his head. "Damn." The officers exchanged looks. "Unfortunately we _need_ Digital. An can't do all this by herself. As it is, she'll have to cover two sites, at least. I won't have Digital at more than one location." Griegos sighed. "Let's just see what he's going to demand in exchange for his 'services.' He has no reason to go topside and risk his life to help us. He may well want something we can't give him. Like freedom."

"Bastard. There's something unfair about needing the help of a rapist. Suppose he planned this all along somehow?"

"I don't see how, but knowing Digital, I wouldn't put it passed him…" Griegos paused. "Or… we could give him _no choice_ at all…" Griegos looked at his second.

Wallace raised an eyebrow at that statement. The colonel tilted his head at Wallace and looked meaningfully at him. Yikes. _No choice, hunh?_ "My job?" At the colonel's nod, Wallace took a step back and saluted. "Yes, sir."

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(8:00 pm, Wutai—Tamblin Fortress; 6:00 am, Mideel; 4:00 am, Midgar; midnight, Gongaga)

Even though he led the emperor from the Tamblin Fortress command center as part of the emperor's honor guard toward his quarters, Makoto Akita fumed as he marched rigid before his emperor. _He just couldn't stand it!_ He had waited years for this rebellion—and his chance at glory—and this _spineless_ emperor was ending the war before it really began! Akita couldn't tolerate the thought of hearing the emperor announce Wutai's surrender.

Makoto Akita shook his head. His quarters were nearby, and he needed to get to them as quickly as possible. He refused to let his subordinates see him lose control, but it was _too much!_ Akita paused in his rigid marching and took the salute of two guards before the emperor's quarters. The guards had snapped to attention at Akita's approach. Akita smiled grimly. At least they knew their place and duties…

"Report!"

"All quiet here, sir. No one has been in or out of his imperial majesty's rooms since his majesty left earlier."

"Good. Open the doors." Plastering a slight smile on his face, Akita turned smartly to face his emperor. "Majesty. All appears to be in order. Do you wish me to inspect your quarters?"

"No." The pudgy emperor opened his mouth again then closed it. Akita found the emperor's actions fish-like—as though he couldn't decide what he should do. _Make up your mind and stick to it! Idiot! _ Akita was careful, however, to let none of his thoughts cross his face. "No. That's all, commander. We'll leave early for Tenshin. Have the car and escort ready at 2:00 am. I doubt I'll sleep tonight."

Akita snapped his heels together and nodded his head sharply in salute. "Understood, majesty. Good night." He stepped back to let the emperor pass. Akita glared as the emperor moved by him into his quarters. No doubt the man wouldn't sleep—he was surrendering the country tomorrow morning! The only good thing to Akita's mind was that the _capitulation broadcast_—Akita's lip wanted to curl with a snarl at the thought—couldn't be made immediately. Tamblin Fortress didn't have the facilities necessary for such a broadcast. The emperor would be returning to Tenshin Palace early in the morning to make his statement from there; otherwise, he'd have surrendered already!

Makoto Akita turned on his heel smartly. His own quarters were across the intersecting corridor just ahead. Just get inside before you think about this… A single corporal stood outside Akita's door and snapped him a salute. Good man. That's right. No one in the Wutai military dared offend Commander Akita, the head of Wutai's resurrected land, sea, and air forces. "All quiet?"

The corporal nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Akita slashed his door card through the card reader then pushed his thumb into a finger print screen before he heard the door click open. The emperor disliked high-tech gadgetry—often it was Shinra-produced—but Akita approved of technology and of its use in warfare. Soon, if he had his way, Wutai would be using Shinra's products and technology on Shinra itself. _If_ he got the chance…

Akita pushed the door closed behind him, let the mask fall from his face, and smashed his right fist into his left palm. His whole body shook in rage. Not yet. Not just yet. He couldn't release his anger yet. Akita walked across his small, personal office and entered his bedroom where he closed the door. Finally. Now… _"The emperor! Damn him and all such cowards to perdition!_ _May the Great Leviathan consume them completely, utterly, for all time!"_ Godo was surrendering the country just for the sake of one slip of a girl! _How could he?! _ Akita ripped his brown jacket open; three large, embossed metal buttons flew across the room. Lifting the uniform jacket, he buried his face in the heavy fabric and screamed. _"No!"_ Wutai must be free, and he, Makoto Akita, must be the one to lead her! _It was his destiny!_

Akita dropped the jacket to the floor and fell face first onto his bed. Slight of stature, Akita was in his early thirties—just a few years older than the demongod himself. One of the few surviving, high-ranking officers of the War of Shinra Aggression, as it was known in Wutai, Akita _knew_ he had a destiny. He had survived the earlier war, and now he was to lead his people to freedom! He was as certain of Wutai's destiny as he was of his part in it.

Akita rolled onto his back and pulled a pillow over his face preparatory to another scream. Just then, however, a thought _flicked_ across his mind: Princess Yuffie wasn't _exactly_ the only heir to the throne. There were other possibilities—distant cousins to the Kisaragi direct line, like himself for instance. Yes, that was certainly true, though the relationship originated several generations back. Flipping the pillow away from him, Akita racked his brain for the exact connection and any other heirs. There were a few old ladies ahead of him… Akita frowned. In theory, his own older, traitorous brother, Hajime, stood _between_ him and the throne. But then again, Hajime had been disowned by their family and declared dead because of his relationship with a non-Wutainese woman. Hajime's son, of course, would be no problem at all. Since Hajime was "dead," no child existed. Certainly no one in Wutai would recognize a half-Wutainese _non-person_ as an heir to the imperial throne!

There was also the potential complicating factor of the disinherited, but certainly living, legitimate, imperial male heir, Shion Kisaragi. That turncoat was in the _direct_ line to the throne and might press his claim if Godo were gone; however, Makoto Akita doubted anyone in Wutai would accept Shion Kisaragi as emperor!

Makoto Akita shook his head. Could he really consider doing such a thing? To kill a king was "regicide." To kill an emperor was, what? "Impericide"? Was there even a word for the action? It struck Akita that if he couldn't think of the term, that the act itself might therefore be… impossible, perhaps?

Akita placed his hands over his lower face, breathed deeply, and considered further, his eyes widening. How wise was it to upset the country during a war? But then, what part of wisdom did any of this situation possess? Yes, perhaps now was the _perfect_ time. Wutai was already in a state of unrest. Shinra had added fuel to the fire with the capture and threats to the princess. Yes, that should solidify the country's resolve to fight this war—remind the people of the brutality of Shinra…

True, his claim to the throne was distant, thin at best. To strengthen it, he would probably have to marry one of those old ladies and somehow beget an heir. Ah, the things we do for our country… Akita sat up abruptly and chewed on a thumb nail in realization. Bu-ut, if the _princess_ were to fall into his hands, he could rule in her name—impregnate her, keep her in her room, and trot her out for show when needed. _Good plan_—rather what he suspected her _fiancé_, Genesis Rhapsodos, had had planned for her. Indeed, ruling as regent for the underage heir might be just the thing! He wouldn't even need to have control of the girl in order to be her regent! In a few years, if he actually got control of the crown princess, he could marry her and continue to run the country. No problem with consanguinity—he and the princess weren't that closely related. That old fool, high priest Dong, would have to allow such a match as he had the engagement of the princess to the non-Wutainese, Rhapsodos. Akita would just have to get control of that old man—tomorrow, at Tenshin.

_Genesis Rhapsodos._ Akita had chafed under Rhapsodos' instructions in those planning meetings; as if Rhapsodos could have possibly led Wutai to freedom! That Rhapsodos was dead, Makoto Akita didn't doubt. The demongod, Sephiroth himself, had relished telling of Rhapsodos' death too much for it to have been a lie. Just as well—one less obstacle in _his_ path.

Who would support his actions? After the uproar in the command center, Makoto Akita knew that none of his fellow command staff members had been happy with the emperor's decision. After they cooled down, they might come to accept the surrender, however. Hm. Yes, the time to strike was now—now or never. Fortunately he had just the thing for the emperor, here in his own room, ready for use; tea would be best.

Knowing well the military situation, however, Akita knew the attack on the base had to resume, and resume quickly, if Wutai were to keep its upper hand in this war. Surrender was not an option.

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(8:30 pm, Wutai—Wutai Base; 6:30 am, Mideel; 4:30 am, Midgar; 12:30 am, Gongaga)

Soldier Third Class Jens Akita punched his pillow. Well, at least he had a pillow to punch. When the word had come from higher up to move underground, Jens had been close to his quarters and had been able to gather all his belongings. Some of the guys hadn't been so lucky, and their stuff had been blown sky high. While there had been supplies of blankets and cots in the underground storage areas, pillows had become dear. Jens, and everyone like him fortunate enough to own one, had written his name on all his belongings after that first night when it had become clear that some guys were desperate enough to steal pillows from other guys. Arg!

Jens turned over, looked at the ceiling, and sighed. He and Jerry Aman, along with a half dozen other Third Classes, had carved out "quarters" for themselves by rearranging crates in an ammunition store room. True, they'd be in a million pieces if the room were ever hit, but at least it'd be over quickly—wouldn't have to worry about his pillow then either. Jens pounded the side of his fist into a crate next to his bed—might be better not to beat up on his single pillow. Keep it from losing feathers that way.

"Jens, go to sleep." Jerry had about had it with his noisy friend.

"Un hunh." Jens hit the crate again, slightly less loudly this time, then kicked his bed with his heel. For about the millionth time Jens ran through his list of "whys," and tonight realized he had new questions to add. Along with "Why had the bad guys hit the hospital?", "Why were his parents dead?" and "Why couldn't we just fight it out with the Wutainese army hand-to-hand?"—they were trained Soldiers after all!—there was now also, "Why were they using the girl to threaten the Emperor?" And the hardest question, "Why did it bother him that the girl had been hurt?" He'd heard the older Soldiers, the ones who had served in Wutai during the first war, laugh softly—some not so softly—when they heard about that creep, Digital, and the princess. A few had even made crude jokes about the situation. Well, those were guys Jens didn't like anyway, so he didn't mind what they said. Still, images of the pain on the princess' face and of her skin as he'd helped her with her clothes wouldn't fade from Jens' mind. Jens' palms were sweating. He rubbed his hands hard on his blanket then kicked the bed again. He'd pulled her pants up and had tried not to see the darkening bruises on her skin nor the tight curls at the vee of her legs… Jens' whole body broke into a cold sweat. Beating in Digital's face was such a good idea! He hit the crate again with the outside of his fist. The girl had been hurt! Urr! Jens growled. No. Not "girl." She had a name, after all. Unlike the creepy guys, he should at least use her name. _"Yuffie"! _

"Jeh-hens! _Go… to… sleep!"_

"A-ah, man!" Jens rolled onto his side to face his friend. "It's like eight thirty! How can you sleep so early?"

"Easy—and it's after nine!" Jerry gave a huge yawn.

"Nah, can't be. Gotta be just eight!"

"Doesn't matter. You're doin' all that translation stuff—not movin' much. They got the rest of us runnin' to burn off the energy. Down and back in the hallways down here—back and forth. I hear they're even settin' up obstacle courses in one of the storage areas, so tomorrow we'll be addin' 'up and down' to 'back and forth.' _Go to sleep, Jens._"

"Yeah. Okay." Jens rolled onto his stomach, sighed, rose on his elbows, and smashed his pillow once more. Damn it… Hm. Running, hunh? "Where're they settin' up the course?" Jens' question met with a snore, however, from his friend. Jens flopped onto his back and sighed again. Well, the halls should be okay. Jens stood and changed into tee-shirt, shorts, and running shoes. Might as well try running.

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(8:30 pm, Wutai—Tamblin Fortress; 6:30 am, Mideel; 4:30 am, Midgar; 12:30 am, Gongaga)

"…and so my dear people, this war ends without truly beginning. Without Yuffie…" The pen slipped from Godo's fingers. Yuffie. How could this have happened? He shook his head and felt again the old pain that had started with the death of his wife, but now held a new element—the loss of their daughter. He knew Sephiroth; indeed, knew Sephiroth better than anyone in Wutai, perhaps. What the demongod took, he never gave up.

During the war when the demongod had taken a village, a city, a region, Sephiroth had _never_ relinquished control. Well, yes, his grip had occasionally been shaken, but never had that grasp been broken. And always—always!—the village, city, or region had never been the same. Generally three-quarters burnt, the people had not survived for long anywhere Soldier took control. Soldiers had pushed the inhabitants into the streets, then into the countryside to live off their own people, turn bandit, or starve. If an area had thought to rebel, it had been completely burned, destroyed. Eventually the only source of food had been Shinra itself. Obey Shinra or starve. "Submit to the will of the company." That was Shinra's slogan, even today, years later, and that was the way it had been when Sephiroth had taken over the Shinra forces. Scorched earth. No mercy. That such a man had his daughter in his clutches was nearly more than Godo could bear.

Alone in his quarters at Tamblin Fortress, Godo ran his hands over his face. Yuffie. Try as he might, he hated this speech. He had to tell the people of Wutai personally that their struggle was over. After his little rebellion, how would Shinra deal with his country? His people? Probably bomb every population center with incendiaries. Again. Certainly the Kisaragi imperial family was doomed even if Yuffie survived. Godo knew he'd gambled and lost—on one throw of the dice.

Suddenly Godo heard a knock on the door. He sighed; he was tired, indeed, emotionally wrung out. He _really_ didn't want to see anyone tonight. Godo pulled the gaping sides of his imperially crested robe closed across his chest, raised his head, and called. "Come."

"Majesty?" One of the double doors opened slightly, and Makoto Akita's head appeared inside Godo's room.

"Yes, what is it, Akita?" Godo's face hardened. Remembering Akita's earlier outburst in the control room, Godo was determined to be rid of Akita as fast as possible. He didn't want to deal with the man, the glory-seeker, again tonight.

Akita was dressed in his formal uniform—complete with braids falling from his shoulder and curling under his arm, no less, Godo noted. He stepped into the room carrying a tray with two cups and a steaming porcelain pot. "After earlier, I thought perhaps Your Majesty would enjoy some tea to help you sleep. I hear you enjoy herbal teas. This is one of my favorites."

Godo's head rose slightly in surprise. He'd never known Akita to be thoughtful, but then their opportunities to show such qualities had been limited. Perhaps he'd misjudged the man. He caught a hint of the warm, comforting aroma of the tea. "Yes. Thank you, Akita. I would enjoy that. Please come in." Godo leaned back in his chair. Akita set the tray on the emperor's desk. "I see you've brought two cups. Please sit down and join me."

"Thank you, sire." Akita nodded his gratitude and sat in a chair opposite the emperor. "May I pour?"

"Of course." Godo truly loved tea, especially before bed. He always found it soothing, relaxing after a long day, especially when he shared it with… Yuffie. He leaned his cheekbone against the heel of his palm, his elbow propped on the desk, and sighed slightly as Akita poured the tea. Godo's gaze drifted down to the speech he'd been trying to write. He shook his head slightly. He'd known he was risking the country when he started the war. Why hadn't he realized he was also risking her?

"Majesty?"

"Hm?" Godo jerked his head slightly—he must be more tired than he thought. He raised his head, and his hand fell to the desk top. "Yes?"

"Here, sire, your tea."

"Oh yes." Godo raised his hand and grasped the small cup that Akita moved toward him. "Thank you." Godo raised the cup to his lips and inhaled the heady perfume of the tea. "This smells _so_ good, Akita. Thank you for bringing this to me. Yuffie and I love it so much."

"Yes, I know, sire." Akita raised his cup in salute. "To Her Highness and her safe return."

"Ye-es." Godo's hand shook slightly as he too raised his cup in salute. Yuffie returned to him alive, was now his fondest wish. "To Yuffie." A drop of the tea jumped from the emperor's cup and fell to the desktop as Godo moved the container to his lips. He sipped the liquid, paused, and then drank the rest of the contents. Godo lowered his hand, but the cup leaned as the emperor's hand touched the desk. He cradled his head on his arm and snored softly.

With a grim smile, Makoto Akita rose from his chair and poured his share of the poisoned tea back into the teapot. He set the emperor's now-empty cup back on the tray. The poison would not immediately kill the emperor. Akita would take the tea tray and cups and clean them himself. On his way out he would call for the emperor's aide to help the man to bed, tell the aide he thought the emperor was somewhat unwell, perhaps grief stricken, and to rouse the emperor for the trip back to Tenshin at about twelve thirty for his journey at two.

Akita's grim smile tightened into a truer version. _He_ was now the head of the government of Wutai! Looking down to see what the emperor had been writing when he came in, Akita saw that the paper contained Godo's surrender speech. Not surprising. Then he started. The drops of the tea that had hit the paper had encircled one word like tears, "Yuffie." Damn. Such a sentimentalist! Makoto Akita picked up his tray and cups along with the draft speech. The draft must be destroyed. No word of the former emperor's dying wishes must go beyond Tamblin. He, unlike Godo, had plans to make, orders to write, and a _war to win!_

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(9:00 pm, Wutai—Wutai Base; 7:00 am, Mideel; 5:00 am, Midgar; 1:00 am, Gongaga)

Run! Pump your arms! Pound your feet! Don't think! Just run!

Jens pushed himself. He hadn't run so much since the attack on the base had begun! Maybe it was because he hadn't been running that he was approaching the runner's high. The little tears in his muscles had all been repaired, and suddenly he could nearly fly! There was a joy in running, and Jens felt it with every pump of his arms! Run!

The corridors, even at nine at night, still held some people. A few glanced up as he carefully avoided them. Usually when Soldiers ran, they ran in packs. It was a bit surprising to see a lone Soldier.

Jens didn't care about reactions right now. He was on his third circuit of the underground base and making great time! Suddenly he caught a toe on an imperfection in the concrete and curled himself into a ball to roll. Crap! Spinning twice, he bounded to his feet. Whoa! He was lucky hadn't twisted an ankle!

Forced to a stop, Jens looked around to see where he was. Sheeze. He was right back at the detention area! Jens put two fingers to his carotid to check his pulse and hopped from one foot to the other to keep warm. Keep going or _see her_? Keep going. While his brain said "keep going," Jens' feet turned into the detention area. With a glance at the guards' station window, Jens paused and waited for the guards to buzz open the door to the cellblock corridor. Shaking his head slightly, Jens sighed. _What was he doing here again?_ Well, maybe she hadn't eaten his Tessa bar, and he could get it back?! Yeah, that was it…

"Hey, kid. You back again?" A voice came from an overhead speaker.

"Yeah. Guess so. Can I go in?"

"Sure. Colonel's orders. You can see her anytime you want."

"Hu-nh?! What's that supposed to mean?" Before he could question the guard further, the barred door before Jens swung open with a buzz, and he stepped through. Have to figure that one out later.

The third cell on the left—that was hers. At least the colonel had locked that creep Digital up "somewhere else." Jens wasn't sure where "somewhere else" was. He was just glad it was nowhere near the princess. Yuffie. Remember, she has a name. Use it! As he neared her cell, he could see that the orange-wrapped Tessa bar he had left was no longer on the floor sticking into her cell. Did she eat it? Did she like it? … Did she maybe like _him?_

"Hey. Yuffie. You okay?"

Lying on her cot, Yuffie's head turned immediately, and her eyes locked on the young Soldier. _He_ was back. Akita. He had even said her name! No one had called her by her name in the time she'd been a prisoner. Instead of stopping at the edge of her cell, he had walked several steps beyond the wall and grasped the bars with both hands. The look on his face was so intense, so worried, she did smile and nod. Yuffie threw off her blanket and spun to sit with her legs over the edge of the cot. Next, she glanced at her pillow and grasped the remains of the shiny orange wrapper beside it, stood, and walked stiffly across the cell with the wrapper held out toward him. "Thank you. It was _very_ good. The best Shinra food I've ever had."

A grin broke across Jens' face. "Yeah. They're really great, aren't they? I love 'em. The orange flavor is my second favorite, but I like the chocolate mint best. I'll see if I can get you one, okay?"

Yuffie tilted her head at him. "Orange" she understood, but, "What is 'choc-lat'?"

"You don't know what _chocolate_ is?! Whoa! Just you wait! You bet I'll get you a chocolate one!"

The girl frowned. "It's better than orange? _Better_ than this?" She waved the wrapper in her hand before his face. "_Much_ better?!"

"Yeah. Chocolate is _excellent!_" Jens swallowed hard. He needed to know. "_Are_ you okay? I've been really worried about you. My roommate—that's Jerry who was with me earlier…" At his pause and almost question, the princess nodded. She clearly remembered the taller, blond Soldier who had helped drive off the bastard. "He'd have thrown me out of our quarters if I hadn't left, I was keeping him up so bad." She nodded slowly. For the first time since his arrival, the princess looked away from her rescuer, stepped back, and wrapped her arms around herself again. Almost folding in on herself, she seemed to deflate before Jens' eyes, and he saw her eyes sparkle with tears as she turned away. "Hey! I'm sorry I said anything! I just want you to be all right! _Please?!_"

The distressed note in the young man's voice caused Yuffie to look back at him. The look on his face was so sincere, she wanted to reassure him. She took a deep breath and lowered her arms. Akita, of all the people here, had been kind to her, tried to help her. If just for him, she had to pull herself together. Keep herself together. She smiled slightly and looked at his eyes. They were a dark brown. She liked his eyes—they were familiar somehow. Oh. How about that?! They were _just like hers!_ Yuffie wrapped her hands over Jens' where his hands still held the cell bars. "I will be—_if_ you come to see me... often. Okay?"

Jens nodded vigorously. "Yeah. I will. As often as I can! _You bet!"_ With that happy thought—that she wanted to see him again—Jens could feel his grin nearly break his face. He turned and ran from the cellblock.

Once in the corridor, Jens let out a "Whoop!" He'd have jumped—maybe thirty feet!—if the ceiling had allowed it. Oops. He was about to run the wrong direction! With a spin, he nearly ran over Lt. Col. Wallace. "Lieutenant Akita!"

Yikes! Jens stomped his feet into the floor and froze into a stone-faced salute. "Sir!"

The officer held out a small, brown-paper-wrapped package to the young Soldier. "Here. Take this with you." Turning, with his claymore glinting on his back, the lieutenant colonel entered the cellblock. "Good job, son. Dismissed."

"Sir! Thank you, sir!"

Puzzled—why had the lieutenant colonel told him "good job" anyway, and why did he have his sword?—Jens kept the package in his left hand, completed his salute, then ran.

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"Let me get this straight: _you_ need _me_ to _help_ _you_ take over the launch sites?!" Digital smirked at the Soldier standing at the side of the metal table in the interrogation room. The Turk was seated at the end of the table he'd tried to rape the girl on earlier. The door had been replaced with an even thicker, heavier version, and the interrogation room cameras were definitely "on." This time every word of his conversation would be recorded. Digital would have clapped his hands in glee—if they hadn't been shackled, that is. His blue Turk suit, along with all his Turk equipment, had been replaced with an orange, short-sleeved, prisoner's coverall, and his wrists and ankles were surrounded by shackles joined together by another chain; a little "heavy duty" for a rapist, he'd thought, but then again, if their positions had been reversed, he'd have done the same thing. "And what are you offering in return for _my help?_ I've got no reason to do it, you know.

Bill Wallace Jr. leaned across the side of the table and glared into the man's eyes, then with a predatorially graceful motion, Wallace removed the sword from his back, stepped behind the gnome's chair, and pressed the blade against the man's neck under his chin. The sword's edge bit into Digital's skin everywhere the two made contact. Wallace felt the man stiffen before him, and bright blood dripped onto Digital's orange coverall. Good.

"Soldier is offering to let you live, scum, unless you'd like to change that right now, of course."

Have to get him to stop! Digital could feel the sword edge biting further into his neck. And he'd thought the colonel was the crazy one here! He pounded the table leg with one shackled hand, the chains jangling. When the blade continued to press, Digital pounded more frantically. Finally the pressure relaxed, but other than to lean forward to whisper directly into Digital's ear, the Soldier didn't move.

"Under Shinra's law code, you'll be tried and convicted. Even without physical evidence—after all, you didn't have time to deposit any semen, so _in a way_ it's just your word against hers—you'll probably get ten years in prison even if she isn't exactly a 'Shinra citizen,' so to speak. But remember, you did this on a _Soldier base_, _and_ you subverted a guard under Soldier command. With the testimony of the two Third Classes, Colonel Griegos _will_ ask for a _doubling _of your sentence, minimum." Wallace kept his sword under the man's chin but raised his lips away from Digital's ear. Griegos had let him do the dirty work. Fine. They did need Digital's help. His commander would almost certainly have killed the Turk by now. The lieutenant colonel glanced at the spot in the wall where he knew the camera was hidden and through which Griegos could see him. Speaking normally, Wallace continued. "Of course, the princess has requested your punishment be according to _Wutai law_. Soldier has never granted victim's revenge claims, but it would shorten the process considerably, and," he shrugged, "there's a first time for everything." He leaned back to Digital's ear. "The colonel's considering granting her request… Just think about it." Wallace wasn't sure whether his voice would be described as a snarl or a purr. Somewhere in between, he supposed. "Wutai's 'victim's revenge'; you shackled, her with a knife, and five minutes in a locked room. Don't think she couldn't do it. In case you didn't notice, she's ninja trained. You're dead meat, Digital."

Grrr! Breathing hard, Digital coughed as he tried to speak. "Tseng…" cough, "would never allow it!"

_"Tseng!"_ Wallace laughed. "In case you haven't noticed—Dij—Tseng's working hand-in-glove with the General these days. _You're_ small potatoes in their books. _The General's_ ordered those launch sites taken. The best _you_ can hope for is twenty years in prison if you help take out those sites. The worst—well that's the princess' decision." Wallace glanced again at the hidden camera then leaned back to the man's ear. "Of course, you could _die_ while on that mission. You'll be on the _colonel's team_, after all. I don't want you on my team…"

"When do we go?" The Turk's breathing was a bit better.

Wallace raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the man's capitulation quite so soon. Damn. He'd really wanted to press the sword against Digital's throat a few more times. Glancing once again at the camera, he replied. "Soon. There's a medic outside who'll do a cure. You'll be taken back to isolation, given some fatigues to wear, and some of your _Turk tools_. We'll be leaving shortly."

"Fine." Digital was resigned. After all, where there was life, there was hope. Or so they said…

cccccccccccccc

Back in the command center, Carlos Griegos bristled having just watched the scene in the interrogation room on a closed circuit television monitor. He was coming to truly hate that little man. Griegos clamped his teeth tight. He'd known he was better off to leave this "negotiation" up to Wallace. Griegos would have simply cut the man's head off and taken the consequences. Well, sometimes these things work out for the best. After all, he was putting Digital on his own team—where he could keep an eye on him, of course.

Two of the missile launch sites were in the hills to the north and northwest of the base. Wallace and Cho would lead the teams to take them out; hopefully, An could deal with the traps at the two more closely spaced sites. He'd take a team—with Digital—to the site to the southwest. With any luck at all, Digital wouldn't survive. Of course, with no luck, they'd be counterattacked, and his team would be wiped out. That was the way these things happened, after all.

Ccccccccccccc

It was only back in his quarters that Jens pulled the wrapping from the package the lieutenant colonel had given him. Inside the paper were six of the coveted Tessa bars: two oranges, two strawberries, a blueberry, and--best of all!--a chocolate mint! Wow, just wait till the princess sees these! Then a thought passed through Jens' mind. How had Wallace known? Oh. Jens nodded grimly. He'd seen it. _He'd seen their first conversation!_ That was why the guard at the entrance had said, "Colonel's orders. You can see her anytime you want." The last vestiges of Jens' earlier euphoria drained away completely. The higher-ups were using him! Using him to get her to talk! Hm. How did he feel about that? Would he cooperate? It was his duty, right? Have to think about that one, Jens. After all, you do like her, and she seems to like you too—she's maybe even starting to trust you.

Still dressed in his running clothes, Jens flopped, stomach-first, onto his bed, stuffed the precious Tessa bars under his pillow, and listened to Jerry snore. Damn. Now he had something else to worry about. Well, at least, it was a new worry. Jens' head hit the pillow, and for all his worries, he was immediately asleep.

Suddenly the alarms went off, and Jerry fell off his bed. "ARG!"

**A/N—As Bjanik wrote in one of her reviews, "On a philosophical note, I don't think it's possible to write a character well without identifying with some part of them. So in that way every character is a little like the author. Feel free to bring that up if I have to write about a serial killer or something equally awful."**

**Well, I've now written about a rapist and a murderer. I guess if it had taken me days rather than weeks to write the Makoto Akita section, then I should have been bothered, even scared. After all, somewhere—extremely deep in my brain—I found a cold-blooded murderer and his motivations.  
**


	37. Attack on Mideel Base

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Angeal Valentine, and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—For Chapter 37, we're back on Mideel Island.**

(6:00 am, Mideel—Mideel Base; 8:00 pm, Wutai; 4:00 am, Midgar; midnight, Gongaga)

The car bumped and jerked as it flew along the road. In his haste to get to the hospital, Sephiroth had taken the wheel of the car that had driven him to the communications center. He snarled. Shots fired! A helicopter standing by! _He had to get to Tessa!_ He could just see it in his mind—his wife was being kidnapped _again!_ He'd assumed that since the bases were "his," that his wife and child would be safe on one—bad assumption! A snippet of the conversation he'd had with Malik as they entered the base now came back to haunt him:

"There go probably half the people I still have here."

"Sounds like I left you thin, Malik."

"Yes, I'm thin, but my people are needed elsewhere… Nothing much ever happens in Mideel."

"'Nothing much ever happens in Mideel,' eh, Malik?" Sephiroth glanced at his local base commander sitting next to him in the front seat. Malik probably wouldn't have caught up with Sephiroth when the General had run for the car, but the automobile had proven just a bit balky in starting. Malik had just closed his PHS after listening to reports from the fighting at the hospital.

"Nothing much—just when _you're_ here, Seph…" Malik watched the first direct light of the morning chase itself across his commander's face. The sun was working its way over the horizon. At least they'd be able to see what they were up against; the reports Malik had heard contained the usual elements of uncertainty.

"Situation?" Sephiroth knew Malik had been talking to his people.

"I've got about a half-dozen MPs onsite. _At least_ two MPs are dead in the hospital basement."

"The basement?!" For the first time Sephiroth turned to look at Malik. "Don't tell me?! _Hollander?!"_

"Yes, his cell door was opened, unlocked. The enemy forced my guards to give them their access codes then killed them. Hollander may be gone already."

"Damn it! I ordered Genesis' body completely destroyed, but I'll bet Hollander has tissue samples from Genesis _and_ Angeal stashed somewhere." Sephiroth paused. In order to recreate those two, Hollander would want the baby's Jenova tissue! He should have killed Hollander on sight! "How many people will we have to work with at the hospital?"

"My base personnel are trickling in; I'd say two dozen will be there when we arrive. We'll have about another hundred as soon as everyone gets here from Banora. Unfortunately, I don't expect them for another fifteen to twenty minutes."

_How about it, Vincent? Where are you? The base is under attack—their target is probably Tessa!_

_Just a second._ Sephiroth could tell that Vincent was talking to Verdot seated next to him. _Verdot says we're twenty minutes from the base. He's going to talk to Rude to push the RVs up to their top speed. We can maybe be there in fifteen minutes._

_Get here! _"If there's a helicopter, then they're planning to leave by air. Have that crazy, fast-airship pilot, Highwind, get that machine of his to the hospital. We may well need it."

"Right." Malik re-opened his PHS.

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"Pulled our friggin' asses out of bed to be ready to go, then left us high and dry…" Cid Highwind's tirade was suddenly interrupted by the ring tone of his PHS. "Inconsiderate bastards!" He whipped the phone from the carrier on his belt and flipped it open. Outrage was written across his face as he listened to the voice on the other end. _"Ex-cu-u-use me_, but I do _not_ take _orders_ from…" The angry expression on Cid Highwind's face was suddenly replaced by one of incredulity. _"Since when?!"_

Shera raised an eyebrow at her boss. "What's happened?"

Absently flapping a hand in Shera's direction to wave his assistant away, Cid shook his head; he was still listening to the voice on the other end of his PHS. "Ye-ah?! What kind of money did you say again? … Wha-at?!" Cid's jaw dropped to his chest. "Yeah. And you need it where? When?" With vague nods of his head, Cid closed his PHS. "Shera, we've been transferred to the Scientific Department; that's under the _General's_ _wife,_ right?! Our budget's been… _tripled_…"

Shera cocked an eyebrow at Cid's statement. "_Tripled?!_ From when? From before Tuesti cut our budget or after…? Cid?"

"From _before."_ Cid's voice had a wistful note in it Shera had rarely heard. Indeed, his face had an expression she'd rarely seen; Cid was smiling! In fact, his face was shining, almost beatific. Eek! In her experience only one thing could make him look like that: visions of his next airship were dancing before his eyes! Oh well, so much for her long-planned, often-postponed, vacation! Shera quietly stepped between Cid and the airship's wheel and lifted his jaw to its closed position. "So… where are we going?"

Cid took a half-step back and looked at Shera blankly. "We're going across the base to the hospital to wait for orders."

"Oh. All right." Shera moved away from the wheel. "We probably should go then. Don't you think?"

"Ye-ah… I guess you're right." Cid took a deep breath, and his eyes focused on Shera. "Shera, check that blasted starboard stabilizer we've been having so much trouble with." He paused, and his smile broadened across his face again. "We can _replace_ it when we get back!" Cid suddenly leaned forward and started flipping switches with one hand while the other shook on the wheel. "We've gotta move!"

Shera smiled. That was more like Cid. As she turned to the right side of the ship, she released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Cid was talking again; really he sounded more like his normal self. No, check that. He sounded downright happy!

"**(&^%#)^&* Earl Gray tea ()*&*^ three cups of sugar (&*?(&%*^?!%(*&*(^!&^&^~%#))*#!^# chocobo *^&#(!^*(&%?^*(?&#!)*"

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Surrounded by armed men firing machine guns, Vester Hollander stumbled to the top of a low rise. There in the swale below him sat their escape vehicle; rotors turning, a large, dark helicopter was warming up for take-off. Several fast-looking cars also sat about the helicopter—getaway vehicles for the troops, Hollander guessed. The machine gunners spread out across the crest of the ridge and continued firing to keep off pursuers.

Dan Hutchins stood at the bottom of the rise, outside the range of the rotor blades, and shouted into his PHS. "Got her _yet?"_ Hutchins paused and listened. "Blast! How did we _not_ know they'd moved her…? But you've got her _now…?_ What do you mean, 'not yet'…? Shortly…? All right. _We're_ moving! Get everyone out of there! Pull out now!" Hutchins closed his PHS, looked up the hill, and spotted Hollander. "Vester! Get in! We have to go _now! _We're way behind schedule! The sun'll be up soon!"

Two guards with machine guns sat in the middle pair of three rows of helicopter seats, along with a pilot who sat alone in the front row. Hollander climbed in next to the pilot. He swore he heard the chopper moan as Hutchins sat in the far back row. Hutchins put on a headset to communicate in the noisy aircraft, and Hollander, looking over his shoulder toward his rescuer in the back, followed suit. "Dan, where're we going?"

Hutchins huffed. "First we pick up the General's wife, then the coast—as fast as we can get there! I've got a boat waiting to take us to the mainland. I've made arrangements for you and her to eventually get to Midgar." Looking worried, Hutchins leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his ample stomach.

Hollander could hear Hutchins' seat creak, winced at the sound, then nodded at Hutchins' arrangements. "Good. Deepground."

"Yeah… Me, though. _I'm_ not telling anybody where _I'm _going, and the less even _I_ know, the better. The head of the Turks has put a huge price on my head—right up there with yours, I'll have you know!"

"Thanks for getting me the General's wife. I need her baby's tissue."

"Well, of course, _and_ she's worth a lot of money! Where I'm going, I'll need it!"

Vester Hollander turned back to the front of the helicopter. Yes, he did need Tessa Romera's child. Hollander smiled to himself, though. There was one other possibility—two actually, of course. Hollander hadn't been knocked unconscious on the RV when the young Soldier had hit him, and he'd learned something in that time—that Hojo had produced a sentient clone of Sephiroth! Who would have believed that _Hojo_ could have pulled off such a feat?! Of course, he'd rather deal with a fetus than two fully-grown, sword-wielding, part-Jenovans, but new possibilities had to be considered… Suddenly the rhythm and whine of the rotors increased, and the helicopter shuddered. With the large Hutchins on board, Hollander held his breath until the helicopter was off the ground.

Ccccccccccccccccc

Dressed all in white—hospital gown, terry cloth robe, and a towel about her wet hair—Tessa Romera stepped from the tiny bathroom in her hospital room. She'd heard the sound of the door to her room closing and then a thud. "Leonard, that was qui…"

Tessa froze, gasped, then reached out a hand. Poor Leonard was out cold and lying face down on the floor near the door! The back of his head was bloody, and two loaded syringes had rolled away from a tray near his hand. Suddenly Tessa felt herself jerked backward against a hard body. An arm pressed itself around her right shoulder and held a knife to her throat, while another arm crushed her left shoulder. "Don't move. Don't make a sound."

Tessa thought back to her training—check out the blade length. It was about six inches long, and the tip was near her adam's apple ready to cut across her carotid arteries. _Yes!_ She knew this one! Zack had trained her on it! Tessa took a deep breath and forced her tight muscles to relax, though she could see that the room had taken on a greenish haze. Don't let him see your eyes. Not yet. Make him think he's got you, that you're cringing in fear—shake a little. Get him to relax. Make him vulnerable. Maybe even learn something. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"_You're_ coming with us."

"Where? Why?" Tessa could feel herself shaking; she wasn't sure she was acting.

"Who cares?! You're worth a lot of money to _someone_. That's all that matters." The man pulled her backward across the room. Tessa could feel a breeze on the backs of her bare calves. The window must be open. Was he going to take her out of the room that way? Then what?! He'd said "us." There might be someone else behind her, too, if the window were open. She couldn't imagine "going up" without an accomplice; with the hospital enclosing the courtyard below her window, "down" wasn't likely. Wait. Wait until we're closer to the window. What's between here and there? Walking backward, Tessa could see nothing on the lounger or on the small table that she could use as a weapon. She remembered a broad bench in front of the window. We'll have to climb up on that to get out—he might just look back over his shoulder when we get there. Passive... Wait...

Tessa felt the man pause, and his breath left her neck. Now. She raised her hands and pressed his knife hand hard against her chest, dropped her body low, drove his own knife deep into the man's abdomen below his rib cage ("Don't get it caught in his ribs. You'll probably need the knife!" Thank you, Zack!), and ripped it toward her. His blood fanned out. The man cursed and reached for Tessa's head with his left hand but caught the towel around her hair instead. Tessa drove her teeth into the man's right hand and pushed the knife deeper into his abdomen, swirled it twice, then yanked it out of his body and hand. She could feel him trying to grab her about her thick waist even as she attempted to move away from him.

Damn! All the blood was destroying her traction! She slipped as she turned and brandished the knife then saw for the first time that second man she'd guessed was there. Great. The second man was standing on the window seat, and he held a gun with a silencer trained on her! "Like he said, 'don't move, don't make a sound.' _Drop the knife."_

Tessa sized up her attackers: two orderlies—dressed in lavender and pale yellow, no less. The original attacker, Mr. Pale Yellow, was lying on the floor and clutching his side with his eyes closed but was still breathing. At least she hadn't killed him—maybe not a good thing. What would a Soldier do? Sephiroth, Zack? Attack, of course, but her? For all her weird strength and Soldier training, _she_ would play for time. Stall. "Why? I'm the General's wife. Do you really want the wrath of all _Soldier_ coming down on you?"

The gunman responded. "We'll be long gone and well paid. Step this way, or I'll shoot."

"No. You need me alive, don't you? It's the _baby_ you really want, isn't it?"

"Yeah, alive. But _'barely's'_ okay." Tessa could see the man's finger pull back on the trigger, a puff of smoke appeared, and a spinning bullet emerged from the barrel. She _knew_ where it was heading, her right shoulder—was this the "precog" the Soldiers all mentioned? hadn't she always known these sorts of things?—potentially incapacitating but not deadly. She bent her knees, leaned back as if under a bar, and watched the bullet spin over her shoulder and plant itself in the cabinet behind her.

Now lying on the floor, Tessa's fingers nudged something cool and plastic. What? Leonard's needles! Tessa released her captured knife and, without taking her eyes from the gunman, grasped the syringe and flung it side-armed at the man—better to throw the syringe than her knife! The needle spun and whistled then punctured the man's eye! The lavender-garbed man dropped the gun, flung his hands to his face, pulled out the syringe, threw it back at Tessa—missed!—then turned to the window to make his escape.

Tessa could now see a rope hanging outside the room. Oddly, she realized that the sun was coming up! The former gunman, now with blood running from his eye, grabbed the rope and called out the window. "Pull me up!"

Tessa suddenly recognized a sound she'd been hearing since she stepped from the bathroom—a helicopter!_ "No, you are _so_ not getting away!"_ Tessa reached for the foot of the bed and tried to rise. Just then the door to the corridor opened, and Cloud ran in.

"Doctor Ro…!"

"_Don't let him get away!"_ Tessa flung an arm in the direction of her attacker; his foot and the rope were disappearing from the window.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Cloud was across the room in a jump. Crouching on his knees on the bench, he leaned out the window, looked up the wall, then stood and jumped out and up. One of the orderlies Cloud had seen earlier was about twenty feet above him, almost to the building's top fifth floor. Cloud caught the man's foot then added his second hand to grasp the man's ankle. Wham! The man kicked Cloud in the face! Cloud felt the wet warmth of blood. Bastard might have broken my nose! _I like my nose!_ Levering his legs, Cloud got his feet against the wall of the building and pulled. Have to stop him! The assailant, unable to withstand Soldier strength, lost his grip on the rope. Together he and Cloud fell.

"CLOUD!!"

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The helicopter hovered above the building. "Come on, come on!" Dan Hutchins looked down at his underlings standing atop the flat-roofed hospital. They were looking down over the edge of the building; the rope in their hands had gone slack. Suddenly the chopper moved beyond the edge, and all the occupants could see to the ground-level courtyard below them. Two men in hospital scrubs were struggling on the ground. A woman with a mane of coppery hair looked out of a second floor window directly below the hanging rope. Other windows were opening, and people were starting to look out. Hutchins knew his people had taken care of the hospital security staff; the blond kid fighting on the ground had to be a Soldier judging by the sword he was using. Damn, his man was going to lose this fight—and lose it quickly. Hutchins' men on the roof were getting out their guns and moving to point them over the edge of the roof.

"There! That's her! Get her! Her! GET HER!" Hollander was screaming and pointing at the woman.

Hutchins looked where Hollander was pointing. So _that_ was the General's wife!

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Cloud landed in the ground-grabbing, one-leg-bent-the-other-leg-straight-to-the-side stance he preferred for jumping. He stood, took the sword from his back, and sliced at a downward angle for the fake orderly's left collar bone. Cloud knew he needed the guy alive. Destroying his collar bone should stop this fight quickly—Dr. Romera had clearly wanted the man captured. The attacker, however, stepped forward and raised his right arm and, contacting the flat of the blade, knocked the Baby Buster away. So the man had some training. Fine. Continuing the turn initiated by the man's block, Cloud spun completely around. He connected with his right elbow to the man's chin then pressed his left forearm to the man's chest. Setting his right calf behind the man's right calf, Cloud pulled his foot back and pushed his forearm away from his own body. The double motion dropped the fake orderly to the ground, and, after a whoosh of breath, he raised his hands in surrender. Cloud stepped closer and lowered the tip of his sword to the man's throat. Cloud smiled. Now he had him.

Suddenly, bullets rained down! Crap! Can't stand still with bullets coming at you! Got to get under cover! Spinning again, Cloud spotted a nearby entrance into the hospital. Run! Oof! Cloud tripped. Roll! Flinging his right arm out to keep the sword away from his body, Cloud tucked his chin into his chest and put down his left shoulder. Sheeze. Rolling while holding a sword is not easy! With no heavy protective gear on, you could easily cut yourself! Nuts! He'd have to ask Major Niven about that some time! Hell, the major would probably make them practice rolling with swords and do it without armor! May want to keep your mouth shut, Cloud…

Bounding to his feet, Cloud made it through the plate-glass door, but held it open as a shield and looked out. Damn! The bad guy wasn't moving—probably dead!—killed by his own cohorts! Remember, Cloud, they're lousy shots! Or good shots, but lousy people. At least Dr. Romera was no longer looking out the window. What?! Suddenly the gunfire stopped, but the roaring of the helicopter increased! The chopper was moving downward to hover outside Dr. Romera's window! Could they still get her from there?! Nuts! RUN, CLOUD! Stairs, stairs, stairs?! WHERE ARE THE STAIRS?!

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Upon seeing Cloud and her lavender attacker struggling and plunging passed her room, Tessa rushed to the window. Avoiding the now-unconscious, pale-yellow-clad attacker and the pool of his blood by the window seat, Tessa leaned out the window and saw Cloud land safely. He seemed all right, though his face was bloody. Cloud took out his sword and quickly subdued the lavender-clad man.

Suddenly the roar of the helicopter increased, and Tessa jerked her head skyward. "No!" The chopper was coming down—hovering outside her window! Worse, she realized that bullets were raining down outside her window—toward Cloud!—but a man in the helicopter was waving frantically in _her_ direction. Was that _Dr. Hollander_ in that seat?! Two other men with machine guns were aiming at her through her window via an open sliding door in the chopper's side!

Lowering her hand with its captured knife, Tessa backed away from the window, fear now on her face. Think! Don't panic! Tessa took a deep breath. What would Sephiroth do? What would Zack do? Tessa laughed a bit hysterically at the thought. _What wouldn't they do?!_ Both men would probably jump through a hail of bullets and attack the chopper head on! That was not a good idea for her, however—especially not with a baby inside her. Suddenly, Tessa knew the bullets were coming her way. She flattened her body against the bathroom wall. No, they're getting closer! Tessa ducked behind the lounge chair for cover, but the bullets ripped through the padding. They were getting too close! Tessa knew she wouldn't last much longer. A thought crossed her mind. If she attempted to surrender, would the bullets stop before they hit her? Hit Lucy? Lavender man had said "barely" alive was all right for her condition as far as they were concerned. Tessa glanced in Leonard's direction. They were in trouble. Somehow she had to get them out of here!

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"Crap!" _How had he run right by the door to the stairs?!_ Cloud yanked on the emergency exit door handle. _Locked?!_ No! People were probably only supposed to come out it rather than go in, but he had to get to Dr. Romera! Well, there was always the direct approach…

Cloud took a step back from the door, hefted his Baby Buster, took a deep breath, felt mako burn, and sent the sword slashing into the fire door near the frame. Metal screamed, and Cloud, knowing what was coming, rolled to the side to avoid it. Metal shrapnel still cut Cloud's left forearm. Even his Soldier body armor wouldn't have stopped that! The tortured door swung with a whine away from the wall. Bounding to his feet, Cloud yanked the door open and ran up the stairs. The whir of the helicopter rotors grew in Cloud's ears.

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Suddenly the sound of bullets pounding on the helicopter's side reached Dan Hutchins' ears even through his headset. The base MPs must have taken out his guys on the roof! Damn it! It was too late to capture the woman now! _They had to get away!_

"Back off! We're taking fire! BACK OFF!"

"Damn it, Hutchins! We can't leave! We_ have_ to capture her!" Vester Hollander roared through the microphone at his friend. Blast! Hutchins, that coward, was ordering the pilot away from the building! It was just a few bullets after all! The pilot, uncertain whose orders to follow, went first up then down causing the chopper to shake. "Keep firing!" Hollander waved a hand frantically toward the hospital room. "Watch for her to surrender then get her on the chopper!" Hollander wasn't about to leave his precious Jenova tissue behind. Not when she was so close! He needed her too much! _For his sons!_

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"Leonard!"

When he didn't respond, Tessa tentatively reached a hand in her doctor's direction, but the scream of a ricochet caused her to pull it back quickly. While _she_ at least had some cover, poor Leonard was completely exposed—and still bleeding from his scalp wound! Tessa wasn't sure how she was going to do it, but she had to get them out of this room and away from that horrid helicopter!

Wait a minute... Earlier she'd had trouble with traction on this floor. Maybe she could slide along the floor—the slick, linoleum floor! Tessa stuck the knife between the wooden frame of the chair behind her and its vinyl-covered padding, lay down on the floor on her side with her back to the bullets and tried propelling herself with her hands and feet. Yes! This could work! She wished she could lie on her stomach—she'd be less exposed that way—but Lucy just wasn't going to allow _that_ right now. As she neared the end of the lounger, Tessa grasped its leg and pushed it forward. Have to take her cover with her… Just count on her unnatural strength… One floor tile at a time… Easy… Push herself along with her hands and feet… Grab the chair leg and shove it… Crawl on her side… Shove…

Inching her way to Caperton, Tessa finally grasped the poor man and pulled him alongside her. Thank goodness the floors were typical, slippery hospital floors! All right, and now to get to the door… She shoved Leonard's body in that direction. Next she pushed her long chair. Hm. She was getting good at this shoving business! Suddenly she realized she had moved them as far as they could go.

Tessa looked over Leonard's body and examined the door. How was she going to turn that handle without getting hit?! As she looked down, she realized that the back of Leonard's head was matted with blood. No! Poor Leonard. All he'd wanted in coming to Mideel was to help her! She sighed. If they could get out of here, and if it was less than twenty minutes since he'd been hit, maybe she could cure his head injury with materia, if she could find some—all of which brought her back to getting out of here. At least their position was better. With a glance back at the chair Tessa realized the poor lounger was "shot"—foam rubber was sticking out of the vinyl covering everywhere; she noted the humor but just couldn't bring herself to laugh. They were now in a more protected area to the side of the sink cabinet with the bathroom wall also obscuring their position.

Just then the door moved toward Leonard's head, and a knee covered in orangey fabric poked into the doorway.

"Dr. Romera?!" Tessa heard her name shouted over the rattle of the bullets overhead. Tessa did laugh at that. It was Cloud. Again. Dear peach Cloud…

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"What are you doing?! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Hutchins knew then that his old friend, Vester Hollander, was insane. To save the rest of their skins, he should just push the scientist out the open door! "TAKE US UP!!" He roared the order through the headset microphone.

Finally the pilot looked over his shoulder at Hutchins, nodded, and pulled back on the stick. The helicopter rose to the accompaniment of Hollander's shrieks.

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Suddenly the bullets stopped, and Cloud, with one eye and a knee in the slightly open doorway, could hear the helicopter's roar moving away from the window. They were safe—at least for the moment. Dr. Romera pulled Dr. Caperton's body away from the door, and Cloud opened it wider.

"Cloud, grab Leonard's shoulders and pull him into the hall. We've got to help him."

"Right." Careful of the doctor's bleeding head, Cloud ducked and pulled the man's body toward him. From the hall, two nurse aids came toward Cloud; one pulled a stretcher and the other reached to help put the doctor on the movable bed. Between the three of them, they got Dr. Caperton onto the gurney.

"We'll take him down to emergency." Cloud watched for a second as the women moved away toward the nearby elevator before he pushed the door to Dr. Romera's room open again.

"Dr. Romera?!" Cloud froze, and his eyes went wide. Tessa Romera, the General's wife, was lying on the floor huddled on her side next to a chair, her eyes closed. Cloud couldn't tell if she was breathing or not.

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Coming out of the stairwell next to the elevator shaft and followed by Malik, Sephiroth spotted Cloud. The blond boy was dressed in light-colored hospital scrubs and combat boots with his sword on his back and was standing bent over in the doorway to Tessa's room! What the…? Had the firing they'd heard been directed here?! "Strife?!"

"General!" The boy started, spun out of the doorway, and came to attention. Sephiroth paused just an instant. The Third Class had blood seeping from his nose and running down his left forearm from a deep cut.

"Malik, see to him." Sephiroth pushed the door to his wife's room open with a bang. _Sweet Shiva!_ Sephiroth felt a tightening in his chest and throat. _Where was she?!_ There was no body in the bed, though with foam flecks swirling in the air, it was hard to see. Sephiroth then caught the smell of blood in the air. "Tes-sa?!" His eye caught a hint of motion on the floor near his feet. "Tessa!"

Tessa stirred, her body tensed, and she opened her eyes. Where was Leonard? Cloud? There was no shriek of bullets, no whir of helicopter rotors. Maybe they'd survived?! Suddenly she realized two black leather boots were near her nose. She felt herself crushed in leather-clad arms and her head cradled against skin. Tessa smiled and sighed. Sephiroth… She was safe.

"Tess?"

"Hm?"

Sephiroth laid his cheek against his wife's copper hair and breathed in the scent of her. "Are you all right?! And the baby?"

Tessa stirred and tried to sit. Sephiroth relaxed his hold on her and helped her to sit before him, but he didn't remove his hands from her upper arms. Tessa could see her husband's inner eyelids flicking across his green, cat-slit-pupiled eyes. She shook her head and raised a hand to his cheek. "It's all right, now. _I'm_ all right, and I'm sure Lucy's all right too." Tessa took Sephiroth's right hand from her arm and pressed it to her stomach. "There. Do you feel it? She's kicking! I think _she_ was fighting too."

Sephiroth's face broke into a smile. "Fighting _too?_ Were you fighting, my love?"

Tessa smiled. "Of course. When I stepped out of the bathroom after my shower, a man grabbed me from behind and put knife to my throat. I did what Zack trained me to do." At his look of confusion, Tessa continued. "You know, that self-defense move, 'knife at throat from behind'. The man's still over by the window seat."

Sephiroth's eyes, which just a second ago had been near-tears, went wide and round as he spotted a body lying in a pool of blood partially hidden by the bed and table. That so easily could have been Tessa! While he'd wanted Tessa to be trained to use her abilities, he'd never expected her to need to do so! Somewhere in the back of his brain he had supposed he would be there to protect her if she were ever attacked. He shook his head slightly. "And you weren't scared?"

Tessa shook her head and smiled. "Terrified, but I survived. Here…" Tessa pulled the knife she'd captured from her attacker from its spot inside the chair frame. "See? I actually disarmed him…"

Sephiroth's hand on his wife's stomach flew to the handle of the bloody knife she held before him. Turning it sideways, he glared at the blade. There, stamped on the metal just above the handle was the seal of Mideel's division of Shinra Security.

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Glinting in the early morning sunshine, a black helicopter moved steadily away from the Mideel Base hospital. In his seat at the rear of the chopper, Dan Hutchins, former head of Shinra Security for the island of Mideel, grimaced and reviewed his situation. It wasn't good. His old friend, Dr. Vester Hollander, was insane and had nearly got them all killed. Well, fine. The people in Midgar who had put up the money for Hollander's rescue didn't need to know the state of the man's mind. As long as they paid soon, Hutchins would be in the clear with them. They'd still want Tessa Romera's baby, but she certainly would be going back to Midgar shortly. They could get her themselves for all he cared. The money for her would just have been icing on the cake of his retirement fund anyway.

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Sephiroth slid the damning dagger into an inside pocket of his coat. He would have a word with Tseng about that dagger when the man arrived. They'd need it for evidence.

"Hey! I'm very attached to that knife—I worked hard for it!" Tessa knew she sounded foolish, but she held out her hand for the blade nonetheless.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at his wife's statement then relented; in his experience, all Soldiers were fond of their weapons to varying degrees, but especially if they had captured them from their enemies. "Here." From behind his back, Sephiroth pulled a sheathed Soldier dagger from its hiding place at the back of his kisori. He'd rarely needed it, but he had it, nonetheless. _"You_ keep this with you at all times until we get back to Midgar. Understand?" Tessa nodded, grasped the sheath, and pulled the saw-tooth-edged blade to examine it. She looked as though she knew what she was doing; indeed, Tessa looked as though she liked what she saw! Just how much had Zack taught her anyway?! Sephiroth knew he had to leave soon—Hollander was still at large—but there was something else he needed to know first. "And other than fighting, how are you?"

Tessa nodded, set the knife at her side on the floor, and leaned her head against her husband's chest once again. His arms wrapped around her. She snuggled closer. How she loved this, even sitting on the hard floor—her wonderful, hard, slippery, linoleum, hospital floor, she reminded herself! "Leonard, before he got hurt, had performed a cure on my cervix. He seemed to think Lucy and I were going to be all right, but he had wanted to re-examine me in a couple of hours."

"Wait, 'hurt'? What happened to Caperton?"

Looking sad, Tessa turned in her husband's arms. "While I was in the shower, Leonard had ordered two injections for me—antibiotics and vitamins. When I got out, he was lying on the floor. The back of his head had been smashed in. I think the men who tried to kidnap me probably knocked him out. Come to think of it, they may even have been the ones to deliver the syringes to the room."

"And where was _Strife_ in all this?!" Sephiroth sounded as though he was on the verge of having Cloud's hide.

Tessa shook her head. "Leonard had relieved Cloud, so Cloud could go and take a shower in the doctor's lounge. I'm sure all Leonard did was open the door…" Tessa took her husband's face in her hands. "Sephiroth. We owe Leonard Caperton so much! I think the nurses took him to the emergency room. If I hurry, and if I can find some heal materia, there may still be time to perform a cure on him; otherwise, he'll probably have to undergo surgery and a long recovery period. The man has four children! The staff is probably prepping him now…"

Sephiroth nodded. They did owe Caperton, but "Don't you need to rest?"

"I do—I will!—but first I have to find Leonard…"

Sephiroth nodded again. Among the many things he admired about her including her courage and willingness to help, he now added Tessa's sense of honor. Zack had said she'd make a lousy recruit, but Sephiroth knew she'd have made a magnificent Soldier! Yes, he was so glad this woman was his wife, and soon-to-be the mother of his children! "All right." Gathering his wife in his arms, he captured her lips and kissed her with an intensity that surprised them both. From outside the window, there suddenly came a roar.

Tessa jerked in her husband's arms in alarm and looked toward the window. "Is that the helicopter back again?!"

"No-o. I'd say it's my ride." Tessa turned back startled—was he leaving?! Sephiroth raised a hand to brush back a few bits of his wife's wayward hair. He smiled gently; after all she'd been through, her hair was still half damp and trying to wrap itself around his fingers. He could never get enough of her hair or her shining aqua eyes. "I can't let Hollander escape. If I let him go, you and Lucy will never be safe. Come on. Let's find Caperton." Sephiroth rose to his feet, gathered his wife—and child—in his arms, and left the damaged room.


	38. Caravan Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Neku the Last Reaper (the author formerly known as Angeal Valentine—yes, my daughter changed her name **_**again!**_**), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—I'm back! I'm sorry I haven't posted since January. For five months I couldn't stand sitting at my computer with Word on the screen. Just the thought of opening FanFiction made me cringe; no it was worse than that, it made me actually run away from my computer (as if it were going to chase me or something—haunt me maybe)! Finally in early May, I felt I could at last read what I'd written. I was surprised: some of it—maybe most of it, though not all of it, true—was pretty good. Late May found me reorganizing this and the next chapter and adding new text. I decided that before I posted again, I wanted to be five chapters ahead; I'm there now, and I intend to maintain that buffer.**

**No promises on a posting schedule. I'll be posting when I think a chapter's ready, and I'll not be rushing to post just to meet a self-imposed deadline.**

**Let's see. Where were we? In Chapter 37, Tessa and Cloud survived the attempt to kidnap her from Mideel Base Hospital. Dr. Caperton's skull was cracked in the struggle, and he's been rushed to surgery. Sephiroth is anxious to chase Hollander and Hutchins' getaway helicopter ASAP. That was 6:00 am to 6:30 am. **

**BUT BACK ON THE RV IT'S JUST 6:00 am, and all that the Turks know of the fight is that Sephiroth has demanded they get to the base ASAP as the hospital is under attack, the bad guys' target is Tessa, and Hollander may have escaped! …And poor Zack is dying. Hm…**

(6:00 am, Mideel—On a highway west of Apple Town and east of Mideel Base; 8:00 pm, Wutai; 4:00 am, Midgar; 12:00 noon, Gongaga)

Light.

Ugh… Light filtered through Tseng's closed eyelids, and he scrunched his face to protect himself. Damn. Morning? _Is it already morning?!_ Tseng's time sense came online. Damn. _It is morning_. He felt as though he'd been asleep just a few minutes. Every muscle in his body ached, _especially_ those in his chest and neck and shoulders and back... Uh… Everywhere…

Tseng opened his eyes. Ouch! Light stabbed him, and he crushed his eyes closed once more. In that instant of brightness Tseng realized why his upper chest hurt even more than the rest of him. A blond head was pillowed over his heart—Elena!—and his left arm was draped around her shoulders. Memories of the previous night returned, and Tseng slitted open his eyes. His body was stuffed in a back corner of an RV as he and his Turks moved toward Mideel Base.

Two male Turks were asleep on the other side of Elena. One of them had his head pillowed on the girl's back. Poor kid. Tseng didn't want to disturb her, but he needed to get up, find out where they were, what was going on… Tseng sighed with regret. They had just slept together—and he'd awakened holding her!—but this was all wrong! Damn. Couldn't be helped now, he supposed. He rotated his left hand slowly to catch a glimpse of his watch. Nuts. He'd been asleep less than an hour!

Tseng kissed the top of Elena's head and smiled slightly. Even after having been covered in a rubbery Turk hood for much of the night, Elena's hair was soft—bits of it played about his chin. He lifted his left arm from around the girl's shoulders, wriggled out of his slot, and sitting up, leaned Elena into his corner. He had a moment of regret at the single-piece, Turk night-ops suits they both wore; he couldn't leave her his suit jacket to pillow her head. Elena mumbled and flung out an arm as Tseng repositioned her. The corners of Tseng's lips crinkled. She was reaching for _him!_ Tseng then did the one thing he could do to make her more comfortable; he punched the Turk who'd been lying on her and forced him to shift away from the girl. There. Better for all concerned.

Standing, Tseng surveyed the rest of the RV. A few people were awake, but most looked as though they were avoiding the sun. Hm. Verdot's daughter had fallen asleep with her head in the president's lap, and in turn, he was lying with his head pillowed on her hip; that couldn't be comfortable. They were both going to be stiff—just like him. Then Tseng caught a glimpse of Rufus' open eyes and the slight smile on his face. The smile caught Tseng's attention; it didn't look like longing or have a sexual edge to it. It did look thoughtful, almost _happy?!_ Strange. Tseng hadn't thought Rufus could look like that—well, not without money being involved anyway.

Looking across the RV from the couple, Tseng caught Valentine scowling at him then he saw that Verdot was standing over Rude's shoulder at the wheel. Uh, oh. Something was wrong—well, more wrong than it had been. Stepping carefully to avoid people, Tseng made his way to sit next to Valentine. With a nod of his head toward the front of the RV, Tseng whispered. "What's going on up there?

Rarely relaxed, Valentine seemed more tense than usual as he looked sharply at Tseng. "… The base hospital is under attack." Tseng's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "It seems Rhapsodos' allies weren't done trying to kidnap my grandchild. Hollander may even have escaped."

Tseng's eyebrows slammed down below his chakra. "Are they still in the vicinity? Are we about to have to a fight on our hands?"

"…Probably…"

Glancing out the back window of the RV, Tseng realized that half the caravan was no longer behind them. "Where are the military trucks?"

"Rude's pushed the RV up to its top speed. The base trucks are probably ten miles back by now."

Tseng nodded. "All right. What about weapons? Ammunition?"

"While you were herding vehicles back in Banora, Verdot conducted a weapons and ammunition check. Supplies are adequate for a fight—as long as it doesn't go on too long."

"Fine." One less concern. Tseng turned to look to the front of the RV. Verdot had turned away from his position at Rude's shoulder and was walking toward Tseng and Valentine. Pausing, Verdot reached down to shake the shoulder of a First Class Soldier dozing over the wounded.

Half-drawing a knife, Alex Niven jerked awake. With a nod at Verdot, Niven sheathed the knife, pressed a finger to Zack Fair's throat to check his pulse, then raised one of Fair's eyelids. From the expression on his face, Tseng could tell Niven was not happy with Fair's condition. Fair, who had initially lain quietly on the floor, was now twitching and jerking, even occasionally reaching. What was going on in the Soldier's mind anyway? Did he know how ill he was?

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Lifestream

Wake up, Zack. Dark. Tumbling. Spinning. Why can't I wake up?! What is this? The Lifestream maybe? Am I dead?! Dying and going to the Lifestream was nothing like being in bed with Seph and Tess! How could this have happened? One minute I was walking through that blasted orchard with Alex, and the next I'm here…

For a very long time Zack Fair had tumbled through darkness. He was breathing fast, almost panting, but was there air here? Air?! Suddenly there was a tightness in Zack's chest—the beginnings of panic—something he hadn't felt in years. What's going on? Where is everyone? Alex? Seph? Seph, where are you?! Seph!!

Zack tried to reach for something—for Seph!—but nothing came to his fingertips, nothing touched his body.

Stop. Listen. Feel what's about you. Look. Use all your senses, Zack.

Yes, it was dark, but dark as in a fog under a slivered moon, dark. A taste of dampness came to Zack's tongue, and with the taste, a feeling at his back—a feeling as of a flow, a direction in the fog. All right. So be it. If there's a current here, then go with it.

Suddenly a roar shrieked across Zack's mind. Zack grabbed his ears and pressed his arms tight against his head, but his arms and head didn't touch! Ouch! There was nothing to stop the pain from the sound! Zack felt himself pulled—sucked!—in the opposite direction from the flow.

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While Niven examined Fair, Verdot awakened the Turk medic, Wickles, and Vanessa-7, who was sleeping curled in a ball at Fair's feet. With a meaningful glance at the medic, Niven rose to give directions onto the base to Rude. Wickles pulled their mastered cure materia orb from a medical pouch and, once again, performed a Cure3 on Zack Fair then checked Fair's eyes, pulse, and breathing for himself. Vanessa-7 laid a hand on the medic's arm. Turning to her, Wickles shook his head. The girl bit her lip and sighed in resignation.

Tseng's lips tightened in a grimace. Damn it all. Now was not the time for a change in Soldier's command structure! Almost worse, the death of _any_ First Class Soldier was mourned in the Shinra world, but especially within Soldier. The death of the popular Zack Fair would hit many people outside Soldier hard as well. Tseng knew it would disturb many of his Turks, especially Reno who was asleep lying near the first class and now was being examined by Wickles. Indeed, how would Sephiroth take it?

Joined by Verdot, Tseng questioned Valentine. "Does Sephiroth know about Fair's condition? How will it affect him if we lose Fair?"

"… I don't believe my son knows, but he will _function_."

"Good… If you happen to hear from him, would you let him know that I am requesting some _communications_ help from him." Tseng had phrased his request to utilize Sephiroth's secret worldwide instant communications system carefully. Verdot looked at Tseng startled—he wasn't certain what Tseng was referring to—but Valentine didn't blink. Unsurprisingly, Verdot realized Valentine knew many Soldier secrets. Hm… More future reference material.

"Midgar?" Valentine barely breathed the word.

Tseng nodded. Valentine gave a curt Turk nod in acknowledgment. Verdot raised an eyebrow and stared intently at his old friend Vince; he'd have to question Valentine about that exchange later when they were alone.

Tseng and Valentine both laughed slightly. Tseng pulled a pistol from one of his multitude of pockets, ejected the magazine to check his ammunition—empty, he grimaced—and looked back at his cohorts. "Well then, gentlemen, let's wake everyone up and get ready to fight."

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Lifestream

Pain! Screaming!

Suddenly pushed from behind, Zack felt pain rip across his back. What?! Falling forward into the grass stubble of a hayfield, Zack rolled onto his back (ouch!) to see what had attacked him and found himself face to face with a green dragon! Hot breath dripped from the creature's open jaws and teeth, sizzled on his clothes, and burnt holes through the fabric. No! It was going to eat him! Get up!

Zack understood then; he was reliving an event from his past. He'd been fourteen, just an ordinary poor farm kid from Gongaga when this had happened. He'd been pitching rectangular, fifty-pound bales of hay from the ground onto the flat bed of a wagon for transport to the barn of his family's tenant farm along with his father and next two younger brothers. The planet often generated monsters in farmers' fields, but today it was the turn of the field where members of the Fair family were working!

Zack reached behind him to crab-crawl away from the beast above him. What the…? As he moved his hand, Zack suddenly realized his fingers still held his hay hooks. Yes! An eight-inch-long metal hook ending in a wickedly sharp, curved point rose from between Zack's fingers from wooden frames in each of his palms. Usually used to sink into the sides of the hay bales in order to pick them up, the hooks might just make good weapons! Of course, they're rusty—good for giving the monster an infection. Just can't wait that long for it to die, though…

Scrambling away from the monster, Zack got to his feet to face the creature. Go for its eyes as it comes for you. Might get a good puncture—doubt you can kill it though…

As Zack tensed his legs to jump for the creature's face, suddenly from above him, a broad gleaming sword crashed into the dragon's neck, and the creature's blood fanned out from a long slice. Flesh and bits of bones scattered across the ground. The maddened dragon roared in pain then turned its attention to the side—away from Zack.

"I'd run if I were you, kid!"

Following the creature's gaze, Zack spotted two men with swords attacking the dragon. One of the men had shouted at him. Zack took two halting steps backward then stopped and felt his jaw drop in awe. Soldiers! These leather-clad men with swords, _they had to be Soldiers!_ Zack had heard of Shinra's Soldiers. Soldiers fought the monsters generated by the planet; he'd seen them on television, but he'd never seen one in real life before. The Soldiers were cutting furiously at the monster, but they didn't seem scared. In fact, they were enjoying themselves! But this was their job, after all! Wow. They're strong! And fast! Zack, the best young wrestler in the Gongaga area, appreciated both qualities. Got to help them!

Zack hefted his hay hooks and took several steps toward the combatants. Suddenly his father's hand came down on his shoulder and halted him. "No, Zachary. Leave this to the pros!"

"But Dad! They saved my life! I've gotta help 'em!"

"You'd just be in their way! Come on! Help me with your brothers! They're scared outta their minds!"

Zack gave a small sigh, hung his hooks in the side loops of his overalls, and turned to see what had happened to his family. Zack's next younger brother, twelve-year-old Garth, had been on the flat-bed trailer pushing hay bales into position while Dad had been walking, picking up bales, then pitching them onto the flat bed, as had Zack from the wagon's opposite side. Ten-year-old Wes, the tractor driver, had halted the machine that pulled the trailer and was staring open-mouthed at the fight with the dragon. Garth had the bales in order and neither of the younger boys seemed terrified, honestly. Zack turned back to look at the fight.

Suddenly the bleeding dragon turned to run from the Soldiers—straight at Zack and his family. "No!" Zack pulled a hook into his right hand and charged to meet the creature.

"Zachary! No!" Sorry, Dad. I won't let it get Garth or Wes... or you.

The dragon charged with its head lowered, and great gouges shot blood in several directions. Whether it still wanted dinner or just to escape from the Soldiers, Zack wasn't sure, but its head was near the ground and coming toward his family. That position was all he cared about; Zack sprang into the air and wrapped his arms and legs about the creature and hung under its neck. Keep out of its line of sight; if it's a carnivore, it won't have almost-360 vision to let it see nearly behind it. Holding tight, Zack squirmed his way forward. While the hook had a sharp point, it had no cutting edge, and he wouldn't be able to slice the creature's throat with it; probably the best he could do with the hook was puncture something. Sliding the curved metal along the monster's throat, Zack jerked the hook into the creature's eye—the one spot where a puncture would do real damage—then twisted the hook to scrape the tissue. What? The eye was _soft_, like an egg…

Roaring at this new attack, the dragon slowed, shook its head violently, but Zack clung tightly. Just then Zack again heard the sickening sounds of the Soldiers' swords as they bit into the dragon's flesh. The dying dragon collapsed; Zack felt his ripped back hit the ground. The dripping hay hook was still clutched between his fingers.

"Good job, kid! You okay?"

Suddenly a half-fingered, begloved hand appeared before Zack's face. A tall, thick-bodied Soldier with longish dark hair was attached to the hand. Zack looked up at the man. With the sun directly behind the Soldier's head, Zack couldn't make out his features. Vaguely, Zack noted the man's muscles and decided he'd be a great challenge to wrestle even if he did outweigh Zack by at least thirty pounds. Zack stared.

"I'm Angeal Hewley. Are you hurt?"

"Some. Maybe. It tried to eat my back… Mister, are you a… _Soldier?_" Zack let the hay hook fall from his fingers then grasped the proffered hand before him. The Soldier pulled him easily to his feet, and Zack could finally see the man's grinning face and his shining eyes.

"Yeah… You ever think of becomin' a _Soldier_, kid?" Zack felt an answering grin stretch across his face. Angeal Hewley…

Grayness worked its way from the edges of Zack's vision until it covered everything but Angeal's face, then that too was gone.

Boda! This had to be the Lifestream! No memory had ever been so vivid for Zack. Dead then… Sadness… Seph…

The clammy darkness had returned…

ccccccccccc

Kamui woke with a jolt. What? What was that? A push on her shoulder? Slitting her eyes open, she found she was lying on her side with what felt like two very hard poles under her head. Looking down, Kamui saw that the "poles" were black-clad thighs. Someone else was standing before her and shaking her shoulder—gently. Hunh. How about that…

"Hey, sleepyhead, wake up. Time for breakfast." As Kamui pushed herself to an angle, a few strands of her silver hair fell across her face. It was then that she realized that Verdot, her father, had awakened her; he was bent over before her with a Banora white apple in his hand. She took it and had the apple half eaten before her brain came online. Wait a minute. If that was Dad in front of me, whose legs were those I was lying on anyway? Twisting with a snap that caused her ragged hair to whip about her shoulders, Kamui was dismayed to learn just whose legs those had been… _Rufus Shinra's!_

"That was you…?!" Yikes.

"And good morning to you too." Rufus smirked and arched an eyebrow at the girl's consternation. He'd rather enjoyed her sleeping on his lap, though he could think of other things he'd like to have her do in that position. From the look on her face a similar thought had crossed her mind as well; Kamui's face was turning red. Rufus watched with interest as the pink color started under her eyes and slowly spread across her cheekbones then ran down into the hollows of her face. Very late, it even spread across the bridge of her nose. Interesting. He raised a hand to trace one of those cheekbones; such lovely bone structure she had—much more interesting than the General's. Hm. Of course, it was the same as Sephiroth's; it was just far more interesting as Kamui's face.

"Ye-ah. G'morning." Kamui turned away from the man and tore into her apple. Verdot and Vincent Valentine, her "other dad," were sitting across the RV from her. She could see that Tseng, the leader of the Turks, was moving from body to body and shaking the passengers awake. Funny. As far as she could tell, she was the only one eating. Just as well, though, if she didn't eat immediately upon awakening, she was as grouchy as… as grouchy as… Kamui's imagination failed her, then she realized why. "Grouchy" just wasn't the right word for what she was when she woke up hungry. "Violent" was probably closer. The Boss was taking care of her—again. She sighed, lowered the apple core to her thigh, and leaned back disheartened against the wall of the RV. Dad had remembered her need for food first thing in the morning. Why couldn't she remember these things for herself? Take care of herself on her own? With a barely breathed, "oh, Dad," she raised the remaining bit of apple to her mouth and rent it viciously with her teeth.

Rufus leaned forward and tried to see around Kamui's curtain of silver hair to her face. He'd just caught a whisper with the word "dad" in it. He looked away from her and out an RV window at the lightening countryside beyond it. "Dad" was a word he also had issues with.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I guess." The girl seemed determined not to talk.

"It's funny, but we do have something in common." At Kamui's sharp glance at him, Rufus smiled slightly. "Fathers are hardly my favorite topic either."

Kamui blinked. Just sitting next to him, it was hard to remember that this was _the_ Rufus Shinra of paparazzi fame. According to Rufus, he was the most important man in the world. Yeah in your own head, buster. Still, she supposed he was the most powerful man in the world. After all, Rufus' father had held that power too until his death a few months ago. What must that have been like anyway, growing up in that situation? "O-kay. Tell me about your father…"

Considering, Rufus too blinked and sat back against the RV wall shoulder-to-shoulder with her. What was there he _could _tell her? "Well… I always thought the word 'asshole' was invented to describe him."

Kamui sputtered. "Yeah, okay. I've heard that. I've also heard that word used about _you_ too."

Rufus felt his mouth fall open slightly, and he forced it closed. "O-oh!? Are you saying I come by it _naturally?!"_

Kamui laughed slightly and shook her head. He was _something_—she just couldn't decide what. "If the shoe fits…"

"_Oh thanks."_ Rufus looked away from the girl and returned to his study of the grasslands and farms outside the window. "You know, you don't have it so bad."

"Hm?"

"That's right. My father didn't want much to do with me, beyond having an heir to take over the company. I think _he_ grew up the same way. Just last year I learned I had a half-brother, Lazard, but he died soon after. Just last night I found out I had a half-sister too—like you have a 'sort-of' brother.

"My father liked to keep the pot at Shinra simmering—near boiling—all the time. He played half the company off against the other half constantly. If he had a project going, he was certain to have a similar project headed by someone else, somewhere else on the planet. That way he kept people competing, ripping each other's throats out. Even after he left to come to Mideel to live, he kept the craziness going. It was then, after I took over the day-to-day management of Shinra, that I realized what he'd done and how _unproductive_ it all was."

"Sounds like a jerk."

Rufus nodded. "Pretty much… World's full of 'em, I suppose, but he fostered their production." Rufus turned his head to look at the girl again. "I know you don't want to hear this, but you're a product of his pot stirring, too." At the way her muscles clenched in her jaw, Rufus could tell she didn't want to listen, but… "Father had two scientists leading programs to produce super-Soldiers. Their names were Vester Hollander and Hojo… Funny, I don't even know if 'Hojo' was the man's first or last name… You're a clone of the _one_ super-Soldier Hojo actually produced."

"Sephiroth." Kamui sighed. She'd always rather admired the General. At least he had hair like hers—different from everyone else's she'd known at school.

"Sephiroth. The General." Oops. Rufus realized he was off track; they were supposed to be discussing fathers. "My father manipulated everything and everyone around him to make himself richer, more powerful, and more secure. In the end it was the products of his manipulations, Sephiroth, and even me, who killed him." Rufus paused at the girl's sharp glance. "Yes, I know. Supposedly my father died of 'heart failure.' That was the story we gave to the press…" As Kamui looked away, Rufus sighed. "At least _you_ have someone who cares about you enough to _want_ to be your father." Rufus followed her gaze across the RV to where Verdot and Valentine were presumably discussing the upcoming battle. "Indeed, you may even have _two_ such people who care about you like that." He looked back at the girl. "Give 'em a chance." The corner of Rufus' mouth crooked into a half smile. "And while you're at it—give _me_ a chance too, all right?"

Kamui felt her jaw drop. She hadn't realized someone, maybe more than one someone, cared about her. She had always been different from Verdot, different from everybody at school. Suddenly she wondered whether that mattered at all. At least within Shinra she had a "brother," who was extremely like her, and a "dad" too. If what she'd heard was correct, then she was about to have a niece who just might be a whole lot like her as well.

"Okay, Rufus Shinra," Kamui raised her right pointer finger, "_one_ chance."

Rufus' face lit with a real smile. One chance. Good. That was all he needed.

ccccccccccc

Lifestream

Across the dark mist, an angry voice reached Zack Fair's ears.

"_No,_ Zachary. Your father and I have discussed this. _We will not allow you to join the Soldier Cadet program._ You are finishing school then working on the farm. _That's final!"_

"Bu-ut… Mom!"

"No 'buts,' young man. You've finished your chores, so go to your room! _You_ have homework…"

A swift retreat was in order—good military phrase. Zack turned on his heel and marched—not ran—from the kitchen and his mother's presence. _I'm not going to be a farmer like Dad!_ Tenant farming was not going to be his life! His father was not much more than a hired hand working some other man's piece of property! His family lived in a house abandoned by the owner—just barely livable. Something better was waiting for Zachary Fair!

Zack had talked to the Soldier recruiters, and they had liked what they'd seen. Zack shook his head. He was a three-time regional wrestling champion of Gongaga—a well-muscled, well-conditioned, large-bodied, intelligent teenager and, according to those Turk recruiters, excellent Soldier material. He'd be fifteen just in time for the cut-off for this year's recruiting class. Soldier could be a way out … He could even send money home to his family—maybe even enough to help them get their own farm. _Why_ couldn't they see it _his_ way?!

ccccccccccc

With Tseng awakening the Turks on the RV and Verdot re-checking his weapons, Vincent Valentine was left with his own thoughts for a minute. He mulled his son's words once more: "The base is under attack—their target is probably Tessa."

The baby. Again. That poor child. Not again…

Since the minute a pregnant woman had pounded on his box and demanded he help her fight monsters, Vincent Valentine had been forced to return to the land of the living when all he'd wanted to do was die. Literally. For years. Chaos and the others had forced him to continue to live—then Tessa, and Sephiroth, had given him living, breathing reasons to live. Since his sojourn in the Lifestream with Chaos, however, he found himself having to deal with the possibility that he was still alive _for a reason_—a reason beyond being a grandfather.

"Vincent Octavian Valentine… _You_ have a touch of destiny about you." That was what the woman in the Lifestream—_the Lifestream?!_—had said. Chaos had called her "Lady Minerva." Was she truly "the goddess" revered by Gaians? Vincent's jaw clenched. He wasn't sure he wanted to be the object of divine attention—especially not with four mako-entities inside him. And if that had been the Lifestream and Hojo had been there, where was _she_?

There had been a day when Sephiroth had screamed, and Vincent had seen two tiny infant faces then hers behind them. On that day Vincent had known that in some way Lucrecia still existed. And earlier that very morning Sephiroth had pleaded for his help in calling for her to help save Tessa. Old pain was being given new life…

So what was this "destiny"? Somehow it was all rolled together: himself, his son, and his grandchild. What did it all mean?

Well, nothing if the baby died, apparently. And what if the stagnant mako hadn't been swept from Tessa's body? Much of this would have been in vain.

There was only one thing to do. Get there—as Sephiroth had demanded.

Ccccccccccccc

Lifestream

"Za-ckie?" A sing-song version of his name said by a childish female voice reached Zack's ears. Charlie?! "What's wro-ong?

Zack sat at a rickety desk in the room he shared with two of his brothers. His math textbook was open, but his notebook paper was completely clean. His left hand clutched bunches of his unruly dark hair while the pencil in his right hand wasn't cooperating to finish his homework. Twenty odd-numbered problems—who cared about algebra anyway when there were monsters to fight? People's lives to save?! Mom and Dad just didn't understand…

"Za-ckie?"

Zack glanced at the door. Hanging on the doorknob with both hands, Zack's jean-clad, younger sister swung with the door. Charlie, Charlana properly, age seven, was a dark-haired, bright-eyed, female version of Zack; unlike with the five Fair sons, their mother fought a never-ending battle to tame her daughter's long hair. Charlie's braids swung about her in time with the door.

What was Charlie doing here anyway? She must have snuck away from supper. Damn it, little sisters were annoying. With four other brothers, three between them, why was Charlie a girl, anyway? Zack didn't treat her like a girl, after all. He taught her wrestling moves—well he tried to, anyway. She fought him like an animal and used every weapon available to her. Just last week she'd bloodied Zack's nose and ripped the skin of his arm with her teeth. Hardly legal wrestling moves!

"Charlie, _what?_ I told you to stay out of here!" Zack turned with his anger to the door. He knew she didn't deserve to be his target, but she sure was convenient.

Charlie narrowed her eyes and watched Zack closely; she knew just how far she could push her oldest brother before she had to run. He was fast, but he'd probably throw a pillow at her first. "Mom say 'no' again, Zackie?"

Zack growled and glared at the girl. He hated being called "Zackie," and she knew it; probably why she did it—just to irritate him. Zack sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. His little sister might be annoying, but she was the only one in the house he could talk to, and she knew his problem. "Ye-ah. Third time this week…"

"Sor-ry." Charlie continued to swing on the door. "When's the…" What did the Soldiers call it again? Not a meeting. Ah…"drill?"

"It's not just 'drill,' Charlie. It's shipping out to Midgar… to be a Soldier—for real." Nuts. Zack hung his head in misery and tossed his pencil to the desktop. "Day after tomorrow."

Wait a minute... Zack grabbed his satchel off the floor beside the desk, ripped it open, and pulled out the crumbled Soldier Cadet permission slips. A parent or guardian had to sign the forms. Zack smiled, narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then looked at his sister. "Charlie, your name's 'Charlana,' just like Mom. _You_ could sign my forms."

Charlie glared daggers at her brother. He was going to get her in trouble. Like always. But then again… "Hm. Just what'll you give me, Zackie? _Mom won't like it…"_

Crap. How much was it going to cost him anyway? "Four cookies from the Nestor shop, and I'll fix your slingshot I broke last week."

Charlie was now hanging by her hands gripping both the inside and outside knobs. Her feet were near the edge of the door, and her stiff body angled out from the door's edge. Charlie's thoughtful face was turned toward the ceiling with her lips pursed. Zackie wanted her help, and she was going to make him pay. "Nope. Not enough. Baker's dozen of the _big_ Nestor chocolate chip cookies—_and Tommy Siddens."_

"Hun-uh! No way! _Six_ big cookies, and what do you want with Tommy anyway?" Tommy Siddens was Zack's best friend. Zack knew Charlie had a crush on his freckle-faced friend, but this was silly.

"Yup. Thirteen cookies, and _Tommy_ takes me to pick them out. You pay. Tomorrow after school."

Sheesh. Zack stared at the girl. Calculating little… better not go there since he wanted her help, then he sighed. Was Soldier really worth all this? It'd better be. In his mind's eye, Zack could still see the two Soldiers who had rescued him last summer. Their names had been "Angeal Hewley" and "Genesis Rhapsodos." Angeal in particular had talked to Zack, smiled at him, shaken hands with him, had even asked him if he'd ever thought of becoming a Soldier. Until that day Zack hadn't, but he sure had since. Zack smiled at the memory. Those Soldiers had known how to handle themselves. He _really_ wanted to be like them.

Zack glanced at the forms again. He supposed he could sign them himself, forge his father's name, but that would just be dishonest. Having Charlie sign them at least gave the semblance of his family's permission. He knew she sympathized with him and his dreams. He'd caught her gazing at the Soldier poster he kept rolled up under his bed, hidden from their mother; none of their brothers would have done such a thing—would have wanted such a thing. At least Tommy wouldn't be a hard sell. His parents had already signed his permission forms, and he wanted Zack to go too.

"Okay, Charlie. You got it."

The gray mist returned.

Ccccccccccc

As Kamui lowered her finger from before Rufus Shinra's face, she noticed the two injured patients lying on the floor of the RV farther ahead of where she and Rufus were sitting. One was that obnoxious red-head with tattoos under his eyes who'd tried to introduce himself to her back in the orchard. He had a long ponytail splayed across the floor that a few people had purposefully stepped on. The other was a Soldier with black spiky hair fanned behind his head and a huge sword tilted against a wall behind people's legs.

"What the…?" Kamui gasped. "Oh my goddess!! That's _Zack Fair!?_" Her mouth had fallen open.

Rufus looked at her side long around her hair. "Who? The Soldier? Of course, it's Fair. Sephiroth's second." The girl had pressed her knuckles to her teeth seemingly to keep from screaming. She was even shaking. What the hell was wrong with her?

Kamui grabbed Rufus' upper arm and tugged on it excitedly. "It's him! It's him! _It's really him!_ Wait'll I tell my friends!" She rose and took a step toward Fair, but the RV lurched sideways, and Kamui landed in Rufus' lap.

"What're you doing? Though I don't object…" Rufus wrapped his arms around the girl and was happy to hold her in place.

Kamui turned her head to Rufus and smiled broadly. "_It's Zachary Fair!_ He's the best! The cutest Soldier there is and, after Sephiroth, the best Soldier there is! Sure, lots of my friends think the other Triumvirate members are tops, but _I'm_ a member of the local Zachary Fair Fan Club! I'm even one of the moderators of the Zack Fair fansite! After all, Hewley's dead, and Rhapsodos disappeared. They shouldn't even have fan clubs anymore, right? Zachary Fair is number one! Well, number two!! I've _got_ to get his autograph! Do you have anything to write with? Hm. I wonder if he'd sign one of my swords?! Yey!"

After this outburst, Wickles put his face between Kamui's and Rufus' and angrily shushed the girl. "Can't you see there's a man _dying_ here? Please be quiet!"

"Oops. Sor-ry! Wait. _He's dying?!_ What's wrong with him?!"

"I'm sorry, miss, but Lt. Col. Fair has been poisoned. We're rushing him to Mideel Base Hospital as fast as we can. Now _please_ be quiet."

Kamui wriggled off Rufus' lap and back into her seat, but she didn't take her eyes off the dying Soldier. After gazing at her in horror for another minute, Rufus rose and moved to the front of the RV and nodded Tseng to join him.

"What was that? Soldiers have _fan clubs_?!" Rufus looked incredulous at the head of his Turks.

"Yes, sir. There are several Soldier fan clubs."

"Soldier as an organization? Or individual Soldiers?"

"Some individual Soldiers have personal fan clubs. Cults of personality, I suppose you could call them. The members are primarily teenaged girls, though there are some male members." The horrified expression on the president's face hadn't changed.

"_Which_ Soldiers have clubs?" Rufus shook his head. He had to compete with a _Soldier_ for the girl's affections?! Turks like Reno he could run off but a Soldier though…?! Until that moment, Rufus Shinra hadn't realized he wanted Kamui's affection in addition to her body. Oh how he wanted her! Especially that wriggling thing in his lap!

"Well, initially it was just the General, Rhapsodos, and Hewley, but more recently the clubs have expanded to include Fair. The Hewley clubs largely disbanded when he died, and with Rhapsodos in hiding his clubs have shrunk." Tseng paused. Where were the president's questions leading anyway? "I've heard that there's a push to start more clubs, probably with Bill Wallace Jr. or Marcus MacArthur as the focal points. Handsome young First Classes are popular."

"How did this get started?"

Tseng shrugged. "It was the PR department's idea during the war. Of course, they're now under Reeve Tuesti's management."

"And _I don't_ have a fan club?"

"Not that I know of, sir."

"Hm… Do _you_ have a fan club, Tseng?"

Tseng shook his head and smiled slightly. "No Turks have fan clubs, sir. Fan clubs don't synch with our image, but they do help promote Soldier and army recruitment." Tseng paused and shivered. "Although, _Cissnei_ is the president of the entire, planet-wide Zachary Fair Fan Club. She'll be very upset—probably with me—when she finds out that he's been hurt."

ccccccccccc

Lifestream

Through the mist another sound reached Zack Fair's ears. It was a sound he knew well now but was a new sound back then—helicopter rotors. He along with four other boys from the Gongaga region, including his friend Tommy, stood at attention with their gear in the school yard. It was just past dawn. From here they would be flown to Gongaga Base then taken by a regular military transport to Junon and later on to Midgar. This was it. The Turk recruiters had looked at the boys' paperwork, and the two, blue-suited men had smirked to themselves, half-laughed at his. Well, Charlie's signature hadn't looked terribly adult.

Behind the boys sat their gear in two suitcases each. Farther behind were anxious-looking parents and families, mothers sniffling. There were family members present for each boy—except for Zachary Fair.

"_Za-ckie!!"_

Suddenly a crying shriek rang out from behind them! Zack knew that sound. Charlie! He jerked around and spotted his little sister, in her pajama top and jeans, her sneakers untied, and her wild hair unbraided running toward his small group. Zack grimaced. It probably wasn't very military, but he wasn't a Soldier just yet, he supposed… Zack broke ranks and ran. Scooping the child in his arms, she pressed her face into his chest, and locked her thin arms tight around his neck. She sobbed as if her heart were breaking.

"Charlie, what are you doing here, kiddo? How'd you get here anyway?"

Her muffled voice barely reached him. "Za-ckie! _Don't go!"_

"Sweetie, I've got to. You helped me, remember?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Honey, I'll be back soon. You'll see."

Charlie leaned back to look at her brother. "Promise? Promise you'll come back?!"

"Promise… And you'll have to work on that new hold I showed you. Remember it?"

"Uh hun." Her hair bobbed frantically.

"Well, there you go, right?"

"_When_ will you be back, Za-ckie?" Zack could feel Charlie shaking. She was on the verge of hysteria.

"Soon, sweetie. I promise." Zack kissed her cheek and handed the girl to Tommy Siddens' mother. Tommy's parents had agreed to talk to his folks, take a letter to them from him. They'd take Charlie too.

The last Zack had seen of his sister had been her waving frantically at their retreating helicopter—waving as though her arm would fly off any second. "Bye, kiddo." Zack's eyes were not the only ones on the chopper that were suspiciously bright.

Zack had known it would be a long time before he would see Charlie again; that his "soon" was a bit of a lie. "Someday" would have been more correct.

How could he have ever left that little one behind? But he'd been fifteen with his whole life ahead of him…

Gray mist swirled once more. Charlie…

**A/N—The first of July marked the second anniversary of Bjanik's publication of the first chapter of **_**One Stroke**_**. I remember reading it while Neku and I were at the week-long, national taekwondo championships in Florida in 2007. Before that week I'd never heard of FanFiction or even knew that Bjanik wrote. During the first week of July 2009, Neku and I again attended the national championships (she received two bronze medals in forms and sparring, and started a new story, **_**Awakening**_**; I got my second gold medal for forms—I don't fight anymore). In celebration of the anniversary, I re-read **_**One Stroke**_** at the championships and picked up a few tidbits I'd forgotten—it's good to review the original! It's still better than its imitator (oh well)!**

**On this anniversary, I wanted to say "thank you" again to Bjanik for four reasons: (1) for writing **_**One Stroke**_** and for letting me continue it; (2) for letting me borrow Soldiers from **_**The Other Way Around**_** and **_**The Scenic Route **_**when I needed troops for my war**_**;**_** (3) for letting me use Charlie and Zack's other family members even before she's put them on FanFiction; and (4) for harassing me when I stopped writing (by the way, I'm still waiting for that three-way, B!). Thank you. **


	39. Mideel Base II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Neku the Last Reaper (the author formerly known as Angeal Valentine—yes, she changed her name again!), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

(6:30 am, Mideel—Mideel Base Hospital; 8:30 pm, Wutai; 4:30 am, Midgar; 12:30 am, Gongaga)

Rather than carry her as he really wanted, Sephiroth wrapped one arm around Tessa's waist and helped her walk from her hospital room into the hallway. Damn it. Tessa wanted to see Caperton, would probably try to help him, and might well exhaust herself. All Sephiroth's instincts said to control what Tessa did, and he knew without a doubt that she would never go along with any of it. All he could do was help her as he could, remind her that the baby needed her to rest, and hope she would. And, of course, he needed to leave and chase Hollander. Blast it all. Sephiroth caught himself grinding his teeth in annoyance.

Malik met the couple in the hallway outside Tessa's room. Sephiroth could see Laura Singleton, the head of the hospital hovering over someone around a corner in a wider waiting area in front of the doors to the elevators and stairs. Had to be Strife she was working on. From farther around the corner, Sephiroth could hear one of Singleton's assistants reporting on progress to ready the hospital for the invasion of Soldiers and Turks that should be arriving soon. About time. It seemed the Midgarans would be housed on the hospital's fourth floor. At least his Soldiers would be comfortable for a short while before they left for their next destination. While his timetable called for them to leave immediately, Hollander's escape had changed all that… Still needed to talk to Tseng though… Blast it all!

Upon seeing the General approach, Cloud tried to stand from the lounge chair where he was seated, but he stopped mid-rise and instead saluted stiffly from his chair. "Sir! I'm sorry, sir!" Cloud's left forearm was laid across a table with the doctor's needle in it. Dr. Singleton was just completing suturing an ugly cut on the Third Class's forearm.

"Cloud!" Tessa was startled at the young Soldier's appearance. She had seen blood on his face during his fight, though that was now just a trickle—probably part of the wipes on the table and the splotch on the bottom hem of his scrub shirt where he'd wiped his nose—but she hadn't realized he'd been this badly hurt defending her! Tessa reached for the young man's face with its crooked nose. "Let me see that! How did that happen?!" Tessa turned angrily in Sephiroth's arm to glare at Dr. Singleton. "Where's the materia? Get me some! Now!"

Embarrassed that the General's wife was inspecting him, Cloud's eyes went to the floor and pulled Tessa's attention away from the doctor. "It's okay, ma'am—the arm's just cut." Cloud felt as though his mother were checking up on him!

Tessa jerked in reaction, and her anger cooled. He'd "ma'amed" her again—old lady style. The young whippersnapper. She preferred he call her "Dr. Romera" like he did in Nibelheim; she liked that much better than "ma'am."

"And the colonel told me lots of Soldiers have had broken noses and not got them set in time. A crooked nose is kind of a _good_ thing…"

Sephiroth's chest jerked but no laugh emerged from his throat. Dr. Singleton nodded to the assistant at her side to bandage Cloud's arm, then stood.

Pulling the others in his wake, Sephiroth took several steps from the injured Third Class, then turned to Malik and Dr. Singleton and spoke softly. "So how is he really?"

Malik nodded. "He'll be all right." Malik raised an eyebrow at his commander. "He's been through a fight, though. You'll have to hear about it at some point."

"Hm. Fine, but later." Keeping his arm around Tessa, Sephiroth turned to the head of the hospital. "We need to see Dr. Caperton. What's his condition?"

Dr. Singleton shook her head a bit sadly. "The doctor is being prepped for surgery as we speak. Part of his skull was crushed, and there's a great deal of bleeding in his brain."

"Materia?" Tessa knew that head trauma was difficult for materia to deal with. Accumulated blood simply didn't vanish quickly from inside a skull; Reno had been a stumbling wreck after Nibelheim.

"We have heal materia that will support up to Cure2." Tessa's head snapped—was that the best they could do?! "That will certainly help—but the hospital can't use it without the General's or Colonel Malik's direct authorization. Dr. Caperton had requested, and the colonel had approved, materia treatment earlier for you, Dr. Romera. I'll have to bring the materia from the safe in my office, and I'll have to perform the cure within the next few minutes for it to have any chance at being effective."

Sephiroth nodded. "Do it."

"Yes, sir." Dr. Singleton took the two steps to the nearer of a pair of elevators and pushed the "up" call button.

"Oh, and doctor?" Singleton looked back at the General as the elevator door started to close. "Some for the kid's nose too." Singleton nodded. "Malik, which way to the surgery?"

"This way, Seph."

cccccccccccc

Standing in an elevator with Tessa pressed to his side, Sephiroth's brain whirred as he continued to mentally check his timetable. He needed to chase Hollander ASAP before the man got away for good; once back from that, they would need to load everyone onto the airship and head out. Somewhere in there, he supposed, Highwind would need to top off his fuel—they had a long flight ahead of them; do that while they loaded, but have the fuel brought to the hospital to the avoid the delay of shuttling to the base airfield. At some point he'd need to talk to Tseng—get him, and whatever people he wanted to bring along, to come to Wutai. And where _were_ those blasted Turks, anyway?!

Frustrated with his erstwhile "partners," Sephiroth shot a thought at his father. To his surprise, _Where are you?!_ rebounded from the elevator walls and rang through his own head, amplified, with a searing pain and without any echo from Vincent. Sephiroth ground his teeth again and raised a hand to his forehead. Damn! That hurt!

Tessa felt Sephiroth tense beside her. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Glaring at the metal corners of the elevator compartment, Sephiroth attempted to summon electric charges to his hand—the one not about his wife's waist, he wouldn't risk her being shocked. None came from the outside of the chamber—certainly not enough for a lightning attack if he needed to make one. Damn. The elevator box was an _electromagnetic cage_. Sephiroth felt his temper ratchet. When outside the Shinra building, and often within it, he climbed stairs to avoid EM cages, but Tessa wouldn't have been able to walk the stairs on her own. He should have just carried her.

Pulling his lips tight into a semblance of a smile, Sephiroth looked down at the woman at his side and began to tell her that nothing was wrong, but caught himself. There would be no lies between them. He despised lies, and liars. He was even a bit surprised, annoyed even, that the thought had crossed his mind. Sephiroth took a deep breath, then let it out.

"Elevator's an EM cage."

Her lips pursed in an "oh," Tessa felt Sephiroth relax slightly as the elevator doors opened. Electromagnetic cages robbed her husband of one of his weapons. No wonder he was tense…

Ccccccccccc

(6:30 am, Mideel—Southeast Gate, Mideel Base ; 8:30 pm, Wutai; 4:30 am, Midgar; 12:30 am, Gongaga)

"What do you mean, you don't have _orders concerning us_?!"

Rude loomed menacingly over the security guard inside the base gate office. He had expected that their RVs would be waved through the barricades for immediate entry—after all they were supposed to be reinforcements for a fight underway nearby at the hospital, though he'd heard no gunfire while he was outside the RV. What he hadn't expected was to be stopped by an officious menial!

The "menial" wasn't about to intimidated, however; the corporal was regular army, lived in a nearby town, and had just come on duty shortly before. She certainly hadn't been told of any unusual occurrences on the base or special visitors. The woman raised her eyes from the form she was completing. "Sir, this _will_ take time." The woman paused then continued in a sing-song voice as if she recited the words hourly. "Now, if I could see your ID and those of all your passengers, along with your driver's license and insurance, I'll get base passes issued for your vehicles. Also, no outside weapons may be brought onto the base. Any weapons you may be carrying need to be left here and signed for." The woman raised an eyebrow but spoke more normally. "Maybe your arm too. I'll have to check…"

Rude glared at the woman—after the week he'd had he wasn't about to voluntarily give up his prosthetic—again! He noted the "Cordero" on the woman's badge, and wished for his sunglasses—they helped his "intimidating" Turk look—then started to reach for his ID that he usually kept in a thigh pocket in his night ops suit. Oops. He and Reno had been on an infiltration mission and hadn't been carrying any identifying documents on them. Their covert, fake IDs, along with most of the rest of their belongings, were still in the cheesy hotel rooms they'd rented back in Mideel city. The management had probably cleaned out their stuff by now—he and Reno had only paid for two more days about a week ago! Oh well; it wasn't like they hadn't run out on their stuff before…

Rude turned on his heel and sneered over his shoulder. "I'll be back." Idiot Soldiers should have left orders to admit their party immediately! He was tempted to barrel through the gate barricade arm, but he hated to be shot by army grunts after everything they'd been through.

"What's wrong?" Tseng, with Niven over his shoulder, met Rude at the RV door.

"We have to fill out _paperwork!_ Oh, _and_ leave the guns here."

Tseng drew in a breath to speak and stepped off the vehicle, but then felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him.

"No, _we don't_." Niven, open PHS in hand, headed into the gate office. He'd rather been expecting something of the sort. It never failed; someone hadn't got the message to admit their vehicles. He probably should have spoken to the guards himself from the beginning. Five seconds later the barricade across the road between the blockhouses went up in a rush.

Rude smirked. He knew officious menials had their uses, but he was always glad to see one get a comeuppance. Back on the RV he looked at the still sleeping Reno—Reno could sleep through an earthquake, the bastard—and Fair. Drenched in sweat now, the dying Soldier's hands were reaching again; he was even mumbling, wheezing and panting. He was feverish and having trouble breathing. Fair hadn't been that bad earlier. Rude was glad they were almost to the hospital. Maybe—surely!—they'd be in time… Reno would be upset if anything happened to Fair!

While Niven ran back aboard the RV, Rude revved the engine then roared onto Mideel Base.

ccccccccccc

Lifestream

Zack wandered in darkness and dampness and gray mist—this was getting fucking old! Zack turned and twisted about, not touching anything, though sometimes he heard bits of old conversations: memories continued to play out in his ears, before his eyes, and occasionally against his skin. Like now…

"Hey, puppy! Third Class now?! Way to go! Congratulations!" Angeal shook his hand. Hard.

Zack had so wanted to be like Angeal, then he'd killed his mentor. No! I don't want to see that again!

Turn the other way…

"Whoa, who's that?!" Zack turned to his friend Tommy Siddens. Someone was with Angeal and Genesis. Someone _striking!_

"Who?" Tommy looked over his shoulder, and then his mouth dropped open. "Wow! Can it be?!"

"_Who?!"_

"Whadaya mean 'who'?! Don't you know?! That's _the General!"_

"No-o. You're kidding me. That's _him?!"_

"Who else do you think has _hair_ like that?! I'm tellin' ya, that's General Sephiroth!"

Zack felt his mouth fall open. Even in those early days, Sephiroth had been a legend! A new legend, true, but an officer spoken of with awe by every Soldier.

A smiling Angeal was shaking hands with Sephiroth—Seph didn't smile though, Zack saw, smiling was something Seph had learned to do later with Zack's help. Angeal and Seph spoke animatedly with many sword-slashing movements highlighting their conversation.

Genesis had initially shaken hands with Sephiroth as well but had soon moved away from the pair. To all outward appearances he was reading _Loveless_ but Zack noticed Genesis' eyes didn't move across the page. Yes, that was it. Even then, there had been something in Genesis' eyes that Zack hadn't liked, but he hadn't been able to put a name to it at the time. Now he could. Zack saw anger—and jealousy!—on Genesis' face and tension in his stance at the way Angeal and Sephiroth spoke together. They were certainly friendly—almost warm—and it clearly bothered Genesis.

No! Find another way! This all led to Angeal's dying! Somewhere, sometime, Angeal made a choice between Genesis and Sephiroth. Maybe now Zack understood Angeal, and his betrayal, better; to Angeal's mind, perhaps, it hadn't been a betrayal at all, but support of Genesis, his brother. Turn away, though…

Where was the damned mist when you needed it?!

Grayness slowly trickled around Zack's feet. Why can't I get out of here?!! Boda! Find another memory…

Cccccccccc

Malik snapped his PHS closed. Niven, not happy, had called him from the southeast gate. It seemed their reinforcements had been _temporarily_ delayed.

Malik, the General and his wife, and her Third Class bodyguard were in a small waiting room outside the surgical prep center. Malik glanced at Seph who was simultaneously leaning against a wall with his arms folded over his chest and looming over his wife who was seated nearby. Strife was kneeling beside the General's wife as she completed healing—and straightening—the kid's nose with materia.

Malik smiled slightly; the straightening was being conducted over the Third Class's protests. Guess he'd made it sound too good to have a crooked, "experienced" nose. Dr. Singleton had brought the materia and was inside working on Dr. Caperton now. It had been a while, perhaps too long, for the materia to be effective, but Seph and his wife were determined to try and help her doctor. Indeed, the General had had to keep his wife penned against his side to keep her from charging into the prep room and applying the materia herself! Hm. Man must mean a lot to them for Dr. Romera to be so concerned…

The General looked up at the sharp snap of Malik's PHS and caught his eye. Malik nodded. "That was Niven. Even though I left orders for them to be admitted immediately, the Turks and the rest of our people were delayed at the post gate. I got that cleared up. They'll be here shortly."

Finally. Sephiroth nodded at the report then leaned over the Third Class at his wife's side. "Strife, Malik and I are leaving. _Do_ you think you can manage to keep my wife from being kidnapped for_ fif-teen minutes?!"_

"SI-IR!!" Sephiroth watched as abject terror crossed the kid's face. Strife cringed and saluted while his face turned bright red. Good. "Sir, yes sir!"

With Cloud scrambling away, Sephiroth sank to one knee before his wife, wrapped one arm around Tessa while twining his fingers in her hair at the back of her head, and kissed her hard. Too soon, he pulled back but didn't release her.

"I've got to chase Hollander. _Will_ you be all right for a while?"

Tessa smiled and pulled her husband's hand from her back to her stomach. "_We_ will be just fine waiting for you. Zack will be here soon. Don't worry."

Sephiroth smiled then whispered. "Shh. Don't tell my Soldiers I worry. Okay?" He was sure Malik and the kid could hear him, but he whispered anyway.

"Right." Tessa returned the whisper, though she rather suspected his Soldiers knew already. Her smile broadened, and Tessa cupped her hand along Sephiroth's cheekbone. "Just remember, I love you. _We_ love you. Be back quick. All right?"

"As quick as I can—and _you_ _rest!_ Have Strife push you around in a wheelchair." Sephiroth wasn't surprised when Tessa shook her head at him. She hated him to give her orders, like one of his troops. He tried not do it, but it was an indication of his level of irritation that he was doing it now. He smiled slightly at his wife to ease the sting, then, with a glance at the Third Class, he barked. "_That's an order, mister!_ You push her wheelchair and don't let her out of your sight until our people arrive! Understood?!" Good; more abject, Third Class cringing occurred. With one final kiss, and a glance at Tess' stomach that brightened his eyes, Sephiroth stood. "Come on Malik. Let's catch that bastard."

Just that suddenly Sephiroth and the Mideel Base commander were gone. Tessa's eyes were bright, and the baby kicked. Damn it. Sephiroth was leaving, she couldn't go, and even Lucy was upset about it. Tessa sighed.

Lowering a mask from her face, Dr. Singleton emerged from the surgical prep room and looked about to find Tessa.

"Dr. Romera, though it will be a while before he's up and around, it looks like Dr. Caperton is going to be all right."

"Yes!" Tessa did one of Zack's arm pumps. "Thank the planet! When can I see him?"

"He's still under sedation preparatory for the surgery. I'd say at least an hour, and I'd like him to rest for the remainder of the day." Dr. Singleton paused and considered the General's wife. "Why don't _you_ get something to eat? With all the shooting, you probably missed breakfast on the floors. I'll call the kitchen and special order you something. What would you like?"

Tessa smiled and shook her head. She knew that the bases used mainly processed Shinra foods, but right now she and the baby were simply starving! "After a diet of mako this last week, I'll eat anything."

Dr. Singleton raised an eyebrow and faked a smile. Mako?! Eehh. Why had Dr. Romera been eating _mako_? Some weird Scientific Department experiment? Maybe even top secret? Probably not, though, if she were talking about it. After all, the Midgar doctor's eyes glowed like any Soldier's, but then she probably needed to be mako-enhanced to be married to the General. Oh well, none of her business… The eyebrow plopped down. "O-kay. Well, our cafeteria food's not bad, given how hospital food usually tastes."

Tess smiled then questioned. "Do you have the new nutrition supplement bars, by any chance?"

Now Dr. Singleton's smile was genuine. "Oh, do you mean the new Tessa bars from Midgar?"

It was Tessa's turn to fake a smile. When she'd turned her recipes over to Shinra for production, she'd requested that her name not be used to market them when they went into general distribution. Apparently this hadn't happened. "Ye-es."

"Well, if you're the inventor, I want you to know that they're hugely popular, but dear. People are buying them by the case when they're available, so they've become very expensive. I'll make sure you get some."

Hm. Tessa frowned. She should look into having Reeve Tuesti increase production. "Good. If you'll just find me a wheelchair and point the way to your cafeteria, my driver and I will go eat." She glanced at Cloud. "_Can_ you push a chair with that arm, Cloud?"

"Ma'am! I can push you anywhere you want to go!"

Tessa cringed. He'd "ma'amed" her again. "All right. Let's head out. Don't forget your sword."

"Ma'am!"

cccccccccc

Tessa sat in her wheelchair at a table in the hospital cafeteria quietly munching scrambled eggs (eggs from real foul—not poured from a box). She'd inspected all the food offered in the cafeteria and settled on locally produced eggs, meat, and milk. And Tessa bars—Cloud had actually _insisted_ on multiple Tessa bars. When she'd been offered locally grown apples, however, she'd frowned.

"_Banora_ apples?"

"Yes."

Tessa had simply laughed and had Cloud push her away while she shook her head. She didn't think she'd ever eat an apple again in her life!

While Tessa had thought she was famished, her appetite nowhere near approached Cloud's. The boy's face hovered about three inches from his plate, and he was literally _shoveling_ food into his mouth while his elbows were splayed out on the table in a position his mother probably would have objected to. Within minutes Cloud had cleaned his plate and returned to the serving line for more. Heads turned in the cafeteria as the young man passed. Tessa felt a smile come to her face. Cloud certainly was a sight: peach scrubs with blood stains on his shirt, combat boots, multiple small blond hair fingers, mainly around his ears—not his usual sticking-straight-up-from-the-top-of-his-head spike—and his large double sword stuck to his back. Have to get the kid cleaned up—again; indeed, after all the shooting and crawling on the floor of her room, she wanted another shower herself. Hopefully she could find some regular clothes; even scrubs would be better than the hospital gown and terry-cloth robe she still wore. A hair brush would be good too. After all the damage to the building from the shooting, Tessa wasn't sure Dr. Singleton would let her have another room, though.

Within minutes Cloud was back and inhaling his food again. Tessa frowned as she reviewed the dietary standards she'd established for Third Classes his age and weight. Maybe Cloud was having a growth spurt, she decided—at least two inches judging by the amount of food he was consuming. She needed to review his mako drip records too. When had he last had a session anyway?

"Cloud, at least _chew_ your food."

"Ma'am?" He looked up from his plate at her with surprise in his eyes, his mouth full of food, and his fork in mid-air.

"Cloud! Please don't call me 'ma'am.' It makes me want to look around for my mothers."

Suddenly, alarms sounded, and a voice came over the intercom. "We have incoming wounded. All medical personnel to emergency! _This is not a drill!"_

His fork in his mouth, Cloud looked a question at Tessa.

"That's it, Cloud. Let's go. That'll be the rest of the Soldiers."

The Third Class swallowed and rose, then maneuvered Dr. Romera's wheelchair away from their table. Pausing just an instant, he swept their pile of Tessa bars onto the General's wife's lap. "Can't forget these!"

"Move it, Cloud!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Cloud!"

ccccccc

Tseng, Verdot, and Niven stood at the front of the RV; all three were trying to direct Rude to the Mideel Base Hospital. Tseng felt a smirk cross his face. Probably they weren't being terribly helpful, but then Rude wouldn't tell his boss that.

Suddenly the RV topped a rise, and Tseng saw spread out before him a shallow valley with a collection of large red-brick buildings surrounded by parking lots on both sides of the base's perimeter fence. As they made their way down the rise, Tseng spotted a patched-together airship rising from the far side of what was clearly the base hospital. As Tseng watched, the airship climbed, its rotors tilted, then it sped north.

Niven leaned around Tseng, his eyes tracking the ship. "Hm. That _is_ the Highwind, that experimental fast airship that brought _us_ here from Junon. Wonder what's going on..."

Tseng looked sharply at Niven's comment. "Can you find out?"

"Possibly..." Niven flipped open his PHS, punched a code for Malik that had worked just minutes ago, then heard a voice declare that the party he was attempting to reach was… Niven snapped the phone closed and ground his teeth. He next tried the General's number—again nothing. Malik and the General might both be on that airship, but their absence increased his responsibilities. Niven released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Damn. He turned to see the Turk commander studying his face. "Out of range. I'll try again shortly."

Tseng nodded. Something had played itself out across the First Class's features; he just wasn't sure what he'd seen. Clearly Niven was unhappy about something. Tseng made a mental note to talk to Valentine shortly and find out what Sephiroth was doing.

At the base of the slope, Tseng turned his attention away from Niven. Now there were more interesting sights to see such as damage to the hospital buildings: bullet holes in the walls, broken windows, and white bullet-caused streaks in the driveway cement leading to the emergency entrance. South of the hospital, the base's perimeter fence was down, and a pile of rubble marked the remains of a tiny check point house for pedestrian employees who normally entered the base from the parking lot beyond the fence. More bullet streaks could be seen from the top of a rise to the southeast of the parking lot. Hm. Why there? Tseng turned back to the hospital. While there were green sparks dissipating from the driving lanes at the emergency entrances before them, there was no active combat. Damn. They were too late. Had Dr. Romera been saved? Had Hollander escaped?

Tseng looked over his shoulder at the anxious, heavily armed Turks behind him. "Seems we're too late, people." Turning to Verdot, he spoke quietly. "Sir, please pass the word, I want all Turks to keep me in sight and to meet with me inside the hospital shortly."

Verdot gave Tseng a not-so-sharp Turk nod. He noted that Tseng had trouble giving his former boss orders. He'd have to talk to the young commander about that later when they were alone. Tseng, after all, was in charge.

Turning back to Rude, Tseng motioned toward the hospital emergency entrance. "Pull in over there." Rude nodded.

Soon Tseng and his people were surrounded by emergency techs and doctors all anxious to help, while wheelchairs and gurneys hovered in the background. To questions about who needed attention, Tseng soon found himself repeating, "No, we had materia. Most of us are fine—just tired. We do need to have a few of us examined. Some place to sleep and food are what my people really need…"

Niven emerged from the RV with Fair in his arms, shouted for assistance, then ran for a gurney. White-coated doctors with flying stethoscopes chased him in a losing race.

"Sir! Sir! Let us take him! _Sir!"_

Alex Niven hated it, but he had to surrender Zack Fair to the medical staff. He lowered Fair to a gurney and watched it be pushed through several sets of automatic doors. He knew he needed to follow the doctors, let them know what was wrong with Fair, what they'd done to try to help him, but he was in effective command of the Soldiers who'd been to Banora, and he needed to look after them as well.

Suddenly, the Turk medic streaked by Niven. Wickles raised a hand to the First Class—"I've got him, sir!"—then he shouted after the retreating doctors. At least Wickles knew what was going on. Suddenly Niven felt a hand on his arm. A gentle touch. He smiled slightly. Earlier he'd tried to slit her throat. Now he was glad that she was nearby.

"It'll be all right."

Niven glanced down at Vanessa-7. "Will it? Will it really? How do you know?"

The clone shrugged. "I guess it's true that I don't." Vanessa-7 looked up at Niven and smiled. "There's always hope. Just look at me. Yesterday I was worried Dr. Hollander was going to dispose of me, replace me. Now I'm free! There's_ hope!_"

Niven patted her hand where it lay on his upper arm. "Yes, I know you're right, but…" Niven shook his head; he appreciated her attempt at comfort, but he had real issues to address. "Tell me. How long does it usually take for the disposal solution to eliminate Hollander's 'undesirables'?"

Vanessa-7 thought for just a second. "Less time than it's been since your friend was injected." Niven nodded. "He's still alive, Wickles has been doing Cures and you've been giving him Antidotes, and the dose he got was less than what Dr. Hollander usually uses for disposals."

Niven nodded again, more thoughtfully. "Come on. Let's find you that laboratory." Placing the clone's hand in the crook of his elbow, Niven lead Vanessa-7 into the hospital.

As Alex Niven and Vanessa-7 walked away arm-in-arm, Rude emerged with a now-awake Reno under his shoulder. Seeing the couple together, Rude growled. How'd he get stuck with Reno—again?! And what was Seven doing with _that Soldier!!_

ccccccccccc

Near the emergency entrance, Cloud halted Dr. Romera's wheelchair. He wasn't sure where he should be going or what he should be doing. At least his orangey scrubs and his wheel-chaired passenger let him look like he belonged here, though the Baby Buster peeking over his shoulder tended to belie that impression.

Suddenly a gurney rushed by surrounded by white-coated doctors. Cloud heard Dr. Romera gasp. "Cloud, was that _Zack_ they just wheeled by us?!" Her voice shook.

"Hunh? Zack? Where?" Cloud shook his head. "Zack was fine when we left Banora. He _should_ be here somewhere…" Seeing the fear on Dr. Romera's face, Cloud paused. "You want me to go and check who you saw?"

"Yes."

"Uh. The General told me to stay with you, Dr. Romera."

"Cloud!"

"Strife!" A familiar voice barked at Cloud.

"Major Niven, sir!" Cloud snapped to attention.

"You are out of uniform, mister!" The voice growled.

Cloud's attention stance stiffened, and he winced. He _was_ out of uniform. At some point he'd have to find his clothes—he hoped they hadn't been thrown out by accident. The last time he'd seen his uniform he'd put it under his arm before he chased the two fake orderlies; it might be somewhere on the third floor—_on_ the third floor, maybe… "Yes sir. Sorry sir. I…"

"It's my fault, Major." Tessa interceded. She rather thought Niven hadn't noticed her.

"Dr. Romera?!"

"Yes, Major." She paused. Perhaps Niven could answer her question.

Suddenly from behind Niven, Vanessa-7 and Tseng appeared. Vanessa-7 slid to her knees before Tessa and grasped her hands though Tseng, while clearly eavesdropping, stood back from the "Soldier" group and gathered his Turks to him with his gaze.

"You're okay?! Thank the goddess!" Vanessa-7 shook her head and smiled. "And you've still got the baby inside you?"

"Yes, labor stopped." Tessa smiled gently at the memory of what Sephiroth had said he'd attempted, but her audience didn't need to know any of that. "Dr. Caperton was able to restore my membranes with materia. I should be able to carry the baby at least a while longer—maybe even to term." She paused and decided to try and extricate Cloud from his predicament with the First Class. "We, Cloud and I, had quite a fight on our hands. Leonard was badly injured, but he's recovering now. Hollander escaped from the hospital in a helicopter, and my husband and Malik are chasing him in an airship, but tell me, was that _Zack_ they just wheeled in here?"

When Dr. Romera mentioned the "fight," Niven and Tseng's eyes both had snapped to Cloud. Niven studied the stiff, bloody, and out-of-uniform Third Class by the doctor's wheelchair. Cloud's scrubs had blood stains near his collar and on his hem, and his left forearm was heavily bandaged—what had happened here anyway? He'd heard from the Turks that the base was under attack, but apparently Cloud had been in the thick of the fighting. Niven shook his head slightly before answering Dr. Romera's question.

"Unfortunately, yes. Vanessa-7 says that the lieutenant colonel was poisoned with a 'disposal solution' that Hollander developed. He is _extremely_ ill. Cures and Antidotes have only slowed the solution down, not stopped it… The Turk medic didn't give him much chance of recovery."

Tessa gasped. "Is that true, Seven?" Tessa grasped the younger woman's hands with her own. "What does the solution consist of? Is there a counter-agent for it?"

"Uh, I don't know what the solution's made of, but Mr. Lowell—uh Rude, I mean—and I had a couple of bottles left after we got rid of the monsters in Banora—I'll just have to find them. I do know that Dr. Hollander didn't keep any counters to it. Dr. Hollander _never_ reversed it. He just made new clones; he didn't try to _fix_ them."

"All right." Tessa marshaled her troops. "Seven, find that bottle. Cloud, find Dr. Singleton _right now_. We are commandeering her laboratory."

"Yes, ma'am!" Cloud, relieved to be away from the major's scrutiny, ran through the hallway in the direction they'd pushed Zack. Now he had a new worry. Something bad was happening to Zack!

Niven frowned. The Third Class had just taken an order from a civilian—not strictly protocol, but not surprising, given that the civilian was the General's wife, after all. Deal with it. He turned away to the door to check on his people and noted that Tseng was now surrounded by his Turks and seemed to be giving out room assignments. Uninjured Soldiers were looking in his own direction as well…

Vanessa-7 nodded, took several steps toward the emergency room exit, then turned back. "Dr. Romera, I just thought you should know that we brought all Dr. Hollander's notebooks and files _for you_. They're somewhere in the trucks behind us. His laptop wasn't in his office, though, so you'll have to go through his papers."

"Thank you, Seven. Please have the samples and those files brought in here… At least we have somewhere to start."

Tessa's brain was whirring over possible means of countering Vester Hollander's disposal solution. On occasion she had considered what she would do if one of Sephiroth's Soldiers were desperately ill—they were so rarely ill that she had wanted to be prepared for such an unlikely situation. She had an idea for a possible treatment, but she had never had the opportunity to experiment with it, much less perfect it. There were certainly risks involved, but this might just be the time for it... All she truly needed for it was the right tissue…

**A/N—I wanted to congratulate NeverFree for noticing that "Tseng" and "Shion" are practically the same name (did anyone else catch that?). She and I have exchanged perhaps eight personal messages on the subject, and while she's absolutely correct, let me assure everyone—as I assured her—there is method to the madness. Nice job! **


	40. Evaluation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Neku the Last Reaper (the author formerly known as Angeal Valentine—yes, she changed her name again!), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—This chapter has a section that's almost, but not quite, a lemon****. Neku tells me that makes it a "citrus," **** and you can skip it if you want. It's Tseng and Elena again, and though I've taken some heat about these two in the past, I'm continuing their rather strange, skewed relationship. After all, they're two rather warped characters. Since I rather identify with Tseng, perhaps that says something about me?! Yikes.**

(7:00 am, Mideel—Mideel Base Hospital; 9:00 pm, Wutai; 5:00 am, Midgar; 1:00 am, Gongaga)

At the Mideel Base Hospital, Tessa and Dr. Singleton had quickly agreed: the hospital still needed its normal lab tests run and processed, but Tessa now had roughly half the hospital's lab facilities and any personnel she desired to help her produce a treatment for Zack.

Tessa had an idea that could possibly help Zack, but she suspected it might be only a stop-gap measure, and she didn't want to rely on just one treatment option, so she'd look for alternatives. Unfortunately she had no clue what this disposal solution of Vanessa-7's was. Silently wishing for Glenn Riordan and her staff and facilities back in Midgar, she set the lab techs to work on her plan immediately.

With her troops marshaled and measures begun for Zack's treatment, Tessa now found herself seated in a wheelchair staring at Zack from the doorway to his room in the intensive care unit. Inside, Zack was being watched over by that Turk medic, Wickles, who was discussing his condition with Dr. Singleton. After seeing his troops housed, Alex Niven was now accompanying Tessa rather than Cloud Strife whom he had sent to shower, sleep, and, hopefully, return properly attired.

Good. The people she needed were here: Niven, Wickles, and Laral Singleton. Tessa shook her head. The one person she most needed to talk to, however, was completely beyond communication: Zack. She needed to see him, determine his condition for herself. How could _Zack_ possibly be dying? Zack was vibrant and alive, passionate. Beautiful. Loving. Dying was not possible—as impossible as Sephiroth dying. Hot tears threatened to emerge from Tessa's eyes, and she pressed one hand to her face—now wasn't the time!—and the other to her stomach—at least Lucy still seemed to be asleep. Damn. Have to stay focused. Sephiroth dying and Zack dying—the two began to wind themselves together in Tessa's brain. Got to get to work, straighten this out.

Tessa steeled herself for the next few minutes. "Let's go in, Major."

An I.V. snaked from the inside of Zack's left elbow while monitor pads were stuck to several spots on his upper chest and forehead. A plastic tube was taped into Zack's mouth and ran down his trachea while the other end was attached to a mechanical ventilator. Zack's normally dark Gongagan skin was pale and shone with sweat while his hair spikes, well, weren't. Zack's Buster sword even leaned precariously in a corner on its tip as if it were on guard protecting Zack.

Near Zack's bed Tessa reached from her wheelchair through the bed railing to grasp Zack's fingers. The sword calluses of his hand felt hard, but clammy, against her fingertips. Tessa shook her head again; she remembered the feel of those calluses against her skin—somehow they were so very different from Sephiroth's, even with her eyes closed she could tell the differences in their hands when they touched her—then she shifted her fingers to Zack's wrist. Even though she could see Zack's heart rate displayed in green spikes on a monitor screen near his head, she wanted to take his pulse herself.

At Tessa's touch, Zack's hand jerked, then twisted, and grasped her wrist hard; the beeps from the heart monitor quickened.

"Zack! Can you hear me?! Wake up, Zack! Please!"

As abruptly as it began, however, Zack's hand twitched, fell away from Tessa, then lay still on the bed. The heart monitor beeps resumed their prior pace. At Zack's motion—and maybe more so at its ending—the tears spilled from Tessa's eyes. He was gone, again… No! Pull it together… Grasping Zack's wrist again with her right hand, Tessa pulled her left forearm over her eyes to banish the tears and took a shaky, deep breath.

"Tell me… what happened." Tessa looked at the Turk medic, who stood across the bed from her, and Wickles nodded but, instead of answering, he looked at Niven who stood beside Tessa's chair. "Major?"

"Doctor, are you aware that the lieutenant colonel fought Angeal Hewley, an ex-Soldier, at Banora?"

Tessa nodded and smiled slightly. "I'm sure you won't be surprised that I was focused on my husband last night, Major. Later, after he destroyed Rhapsodos, I was in and out of consciousness… Hm… Hewley, though, you say?" Tessa tilted her head and searched for the memory. "I do remember a fight being discussed, though… Angeal Hewley was an old friend of my husband's, yes?" Niven nodded. "But he and Rhapsodos betrayed Shinra." Tessa frowned. "I thought Hewley was dead."

Alex Niven nodded again. "That's correct. The man Fair fought last night was a _clone_ of Hewley." Niven paused for a deep breath; all of this was painful to the every First Class in Soldier. "The lieutenant colonel was particularly close to Hewley. When Hewley betrayed Shinra, Fair was the one who killed him. Some of the mystery of Hewley's betrayal has finally become clear; just last night we learned that Hewley was Genesis Rhapsodos' brother." Niven shook his head. At Tessa's raised eyebrow, he continued. "When they fought, the clone used a Bio spell on Fair. Strife and I saw what happened, and I sent Strife to aid Fair. Instead of giving Fair an Antidote, however, Strife engaged the clone. It's my belief now that when Hewley used the spell, he also injected this 'disposal solution' into Fair." A frown passed over Niven's face. "Part of this is my fault. I lost track of Strife's skill set; I had forgotten that he hadn't covered Bio spells and Antidotes in his coursework yet."

Tessa's eyebrows came down. What was Niven trying to tell her, anyway? That he blamed himself for Zack's being poisoned?! Perhaps even for his current condition?

"I arrived later, while Strife was engaged with the clone. I administered an Antidote, and initially Fair seemed to recover as normal from a Bio spell. It was only when we were looking for pieces of Rhapsodos, after roughly two hours of sporadic monster fighting and searching, that Fair began to weave and fainted. As he fell, I saw that green sparks—like bodies decomposing—were popping in his eyes. I immediately administered another Antidote, and the sparks slowed. That was about two hours after the fight with the Hewley clone _and after_ the General brought you here."

"He has decomposition sparks_ in his eyes?!"_ Tessa rose shakily from her chair, leaned sideways against the railing, and reached for Zack's face.

"Here." Wickles pulled open one eyelid. "Can you see it? Can _you_, Dr. Singleton?"

"Oh my goddess!" Tessa gasped, and her reaching hand stopped in mid-air. Suddenly the Lifestream voices in her head went still.

"I've never seen anything like that… _inside_ a human being, that is…" Dr. Singleton's voice trailed away.

"No. Nor have I." Tessa turned her head side to side as if trying to pull her thoughts together. When she reached behind her for the arm of the chair, Niven adjusted it for her, and Tessa sat heavily. _This couldn't be happening to Zack!_ Tessa leaned her forehead against a clenched fist and took a deep breath. The voices returned but at a whisper.

"Tell me again what's been done for him, since the fight?" she requested quietly.

Wickles responded. "He's had at least four Antidotes from the major, and I've done six Cure3s. Each time the sparks have slowed temporarily, but afterward they've come back and quickly grown stronger." Wickles paused and said haltingly, "I do think that the Major's Antidotes have been a _bit_ more effective than the cures."

"Slightly, yes." Niven nodded.

"Hm…" Did this tell her anything? "_Maybe_ that means that this disposal solution is organic in nature." Tessa speculated.

"If I may, Doctor." Niven interjected. "Vanessa-7 said that Hollander used this solution to dispose of unwanted bodies in his lab. How do _you_ normally dispose of samples?"

Tessa nodded. Refocus. "We send specimens out for incineration. It stands to reason, though, that since Hollander's been in hiding, he couldn't use an external incinerator. He'd have had to come up with something that would _dissolve_ organic material." Wait! Tessa paused. Had any of Hollander's clones contained Jenova tissue? If so, when Hollander disposed of his clones, he would have been creating _stagnant mako_—possibly large quantities of stagnant mako! If Hollander was "flushing" his tubes, where had his stagnant mako gone?! Into the New Banora ground or into the Lifestream, or both?! Don't panic. Talk to Vincent first—he would know. Tessa sighed. "But, unfortunately, we don't know what we're dealing with for certain." For the present, however, she needed help. "Wickles, may I borrow you from Commander Tseng?"

"I'll have to check with the commander, Dr. Romera, but truth be told, now that we're back in civilization—at a hospital even—my services aren't really needed. I'd _like_ to help any way I can."

"Excellent." Tessa smiled at the small, brown-haired Turk. The man was so non-descript, he'd fit in anywhere—part of being a good, blendable Turk, she supposed. "We need to find out what this solution of Seven's isn't and is… Dr. Singleton, are there a gas chromatograph and a mass spectrometer on the base?"

The head of the base hospital nodded. "Yes, the base's coroner's office has that equipment. That office is here in the hospital complex."

"Good. Let's get those tests run as soon as possible. I can't counter this poison permanently if I don't know what it is. Perhaps we'll find the components of this disposal solution in Hollander's files, but I can't count on that…" Tessa paused. "I have to know, everyone, _how long does Zack have?"_

Niven raised an eyebrow at Wickles. The medic responded with a shrug. They'd discussed this, and neither man had changed his mind. Niven answered. "At his present rate of degeneration, _and_ _with no additional treatments_, the lieutenant colonel will be dead in about an hour. Correct me if I'm wrong, Dr. Singleton, but it seems to me that Fair even now is showing signs of _organ failure_." The physician nodded. "And too, doesn't death by organ failure usually take _weeks_?" Again a nod. "_And_ there's no way to stop it once it becomes advanced?"

Dr. Singleton nodded yet again. "All of that's true, and I agree with your time projection. The patient is currently suffering from respiratory failure resulting in inadequate oxygen in the blood and a build-up of carbon dioxide. He's also showing the first signs of liver failure, which is the second stage. If this process isn't stopped soon, it will proceed to gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney failure, then death." Dr. Singleton sighed. "This is the fastest such case I've ever seen, though. All of this usually takes two to three weeks; however, the lieutenant colonel is failing far more rapidly than organ failure alone can account for. If he continues to receive Antidotes and Cure3s roughly every ten minutes, it could buy him another hour or so. Two hours probably, Dr. Romera. Three hours at the very outside."

Tessa's face lost what color it had, and her fingers on Zack's wrist shook at Singleton's pronouncement, but her voice remained steady. Tessa's mind wanted to scream, however; Laral Singleton had just announced the length of the remainder of Zack's life! Darling Zack… If Zack had any hope of survival, then her treatment had to be administered as soon as it was ready!

"Degeneration... Decay… Eaten from the inside out... Wasn't that how Vanessa-7 said it? Eaten? Eaten… It's almost as though Hollander could speed death and decay…. Wait… What was it he said?" Tessa's mind sought the memory—a memory from the RV, punctuated by the flash of Cloud's EM rod bashing Hollander into silence. Yes, that was it. Tessa whispered. "Hollander said, 'I had that baby growing at _twenty times_ its normal growth rate, and those blasted Turks stopped me!'"

Tessa paused and looked at the medic. "Wickles, find Vanessa-7 and send her to me in the laboratory's conference room—I need to talk to her—and get that sample from her, get it analyzed, _and_ make sure that Dr. Hollander's files are moved to the conference room as well. Also I'd appreciate it if you could have Vincent Valentine and Verdot's daughter sent to me, as well. Once you get back, I need you to keep giving Zack Antidotes and Cure3s alternately. I know administering all those cures is draining, so we'll have to find someone to help you. For now, though, please leave your materia." Wickles gave her the sharp Turk salute nod. "Go." Startled, the Turk knew an order when he heard one, and he pulled the mastered cure materia orb from his pocket, left it on the bed, then ran for the door.

"Dr. Singleton." Tessa looked at the base hospital director. "Until Wickles gets back, I need you and your staff to handle the Antidotes and Cure3s and help him as well. Agreed?" Singleton nodded then turned to the door and began passing orders to her people.

"Major." Niven looked at his commander's wife. "I think you'd better contact my husband, don't you? I'd do it myself, but I have work to do, and I need every minute. Besides I don't have a phone anymore."

"I'll try to reach the General. If I can't get in touch with him, I'll try Malik. You do understand that they could well be in the midst of a battle, Doctor."

"I am very aware of that, Major." Tessa smiled slightly to remove the sting of her words. "Do what you can, please." Tessa sighed. "I know you have your own responsibilities, Major, but could you also push me to that conference room? Thanks." Tessa sighed again, this time pensively, as Niven pushed her toward the door. "Organ failure—there is no cure for organ failure—but I can fight it, though his body may reject my idea."

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Lifestream

Suddenly sunlight broke through the gray mist, and Zack smelled fresh-cut grass. Is that _hay_ again? Hey, it's hay!! Again. Zack breathed deeply and pulled the green perfume of home into his lungs. Gongaga. Was he back with the dragon or was this another memory altogether? There was no screaming or pain this time, so it could be different.

"_Zac-kie! You're home!"_

"Charlie!!" Zack stepped from a bus on the road above his family's home in the country and felt his duffle fall from his hand and slide down his back to the ground. He ran headlong at the girl running toward him. Waving furiously with her pigtails flying, Charlie ran at him across the yard of their family's home. She tried to tackle him, but she barely budged him.

Charlie's fingers linked with Zack's, traced the ridges of calluses on his fingertips, reached up his hand to his wrist, but it was wrong, somehow. Somehow the hand that touched his was adult, feminine yes, but adult, and had touched him before… _Tess? Is that you?..._ Confused, Zack tired to clear the image before him and shook his head, but the face that looked back at him was dark-eyed, dark-haired, and altogether young.

Charlie looked at him with surprise then a huge smile burst across her face, and she hugged him tightly, rained kisses on him. Yes. Charlie! Zack hugged the girl and twirled her around him in the air. Whee!! He was home!

This was a memory, all right—a happy one! He had just finished the two-year cadet training program, and now he was home on leave! Seeing Charlie, though, made the work and even the terror of the previous two years worth it. His eyes had shown early with the mako injections. They'd been painful—horrifyingly painful, someone really should shoot that damned Hojo!—but mako had made him first in his class, at least in the physical aspects—mako and his own abilities, that is! Zack Fair, faster and stronger than anyone else in his year, was a newly commissioned Third Class Soldier!

Charlie, though. _Damn_, it was good to see Charlie! In two years she'd gone from 'cute' to 'head-turning.' She might just be nine, but Dad and his brothers were going to have to beat the boys off with sticks! That is, if she didn't beat them first! Wow! Well, maybe he was prejudiced, but he could barely take his eyes off her!

_He was home_ _at last!_

Ccccccccccc

(7:00 am, Mideel—Mideel Base Hospital; 9:00 pm, Wutai; 5:00 am, Midgar; 1:00 am, Gongaga)

Tseng had ordered his Turks to bed at roughly the same time that Niven had ordered the Soldiers to sleep. Not surprisingly, both men had excluded themselves from their own orders. Tseng was finding he liked Alex Niven more each time he met him. Niven was meticulous, orderly, and intelligent—a man after Tseng's own heart.

Tseng walked down the hospital's fourth floor corridor where his remaining Turks had crashed and ran a roll call through his mind. He didn't like the results he was getting. Roughly half the people he had brought with him were gone, permanently, never to answer roll again. Half again of that number had been injured and would need extended recovery time—though they would be back, thank the planet. Tseng was used to sorrow, but he shook his head; it never got easier. Perhaps that was a good thing…

At least they had now caught up with their transport from Midgar. Their airship, complete with their luggage, had flown from Verdot's coastal home to the base the previous evening. Tseng and two hospital orderlies had looked through the tagged bags. Half of those would never meet their owners again in this life, and Tseng had them set aside for return to the transport and Midgar, though most had no "next of kin" to give them to. With a sigh, he located one more: Jayna's. At least she had a next of kin. Perhaps he should take this one to her sister himself. Better find hers too…

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Tseng paused before the room that been assigned to Elena then opened the door. The room had been darkened to give its occupant a chance to sleep, but the light from the hallway showed Tseng what he sought. Elena's face, framed by damp blond hair, was illuminated by the hall light behind him. Elena was clutching a pillow to her, a sheet had wound itself tightly around her, and a shoulder clad in dark hospital scrubs showed itself in the light. A whiff of hospital soap wafted to Tseng's nose. The girl had had a shower. Such a wonderful idea…

Tseng sighed and gave himself one minute to look at her. She was so beautiful in a lost puppy sort of way. He'd already taken too much advantage of her tonight; he'd better leave before temptation got the better of him again. Opening the door wider, he set Jayna's suitcase along with Elena's own bag inside her room then returned to his study of the girl. Suddenly he realized he was not the only one observing someone in that room. Elena was looking at him.

"Sorry. I was dropping off your bags." Tseng waved a hand toward the luggage.

Elena's eyes followed the line of Tseng's hand. She gasped and sat up abruptly in the bed, then her face paled. "Oh…" She sighed and lowered her head. "Thanks."

"Did you want it sent back to Midgar? I was sending the belongings of the others… back."

Elena didn't respond for a few seconds. "And are you sending _me_ back as well?" She asked in a small voice.

Tseng raised his head. "Yes. You and most of the other remaining Turks who came on this mission. I've given orders for the transport to be ready to go early this afternoon. I won't be going back just yet, however."

Elena shook her head. "Please no… I don't want to go back…"

Tseng gave her a subordinate-quelling grimace. "That's an order, trainee." His scowl softened. "Besides, I'm sure Cissnei needs all the help she can get."

"Then… _stay_ for a little while. If I won't be seeing you for some time—maybe forever if things go bad like… Stay… _please_…" Elena raised a hand toward Tseng in pleading.

Tseng shook his head and sighed. He shouldn't do this, but he had to know. Was she his Miss Number Five? The Turk he could trust implicitly? Before he went any further with her, he had to know, and now maybe was the time. Tseng leaned outside her door back into the hallway, picked up a suit bag and shaving kit, hung the bags on a hook just inside the door, then slowly stepped into Elena's room and shut the door behind him.

"I'll stay—if you're sure." He glanced at his watch. "For a few minutes."

Elena smiled slightly. "Yes." She tossed the pillow aside, unwound the sheet, and stepped before him in the doorway. "We'd better make the most of that time." She reached behind his head and pulled his hair free of its binding. "Don't you think?" And with that she rose on the balls of her feet, wound her hands in his hair and pulled his lips to her mouth.

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Lifestream

Suddenly the gray mist gathered itself into deep gray nimbus clouds—clouds coming his way fast! Zack could taste the humidity in the air increasing while his ears felt the pressure dropping. At least there was no rotation in those clouds. No sign of tornados, just rain—lots of rain, multiple inches of rain—that should have stayed in the swamplands, but was now coming their way on the Gongaga plateau. With twelve-year-old Wes pushing hay bales toward him, Zack was lifting the bales from the flat-bed trailer to the ramp of an ancient elevator that pushed them up its metal ramp through the external, second-floor, hay door of the barn's hay loft. Once there Dad and fourteen-year-old Garth were stacking the bales.

Zack had been surprised when he'd first visited a shopping mall in Midgar; people there moved between floors on things they called "escalators." Escalators were just like the elevator on the farm, only people-sized. "Elevators" in cities were people-sized boxes that went straight up and down in tall buildings. People in cities had weird names for things, like "lunch" instead of "dinner" for the noon meal. Well, maybe the farm "elevator" was a hay-sized city "escalator."

Unfortunately the weather was turning bad for Zack and his family—and there was still hay in the field. If the hay bales that had lain drying in the field for over a week were to be rained on now, the grasses would ferment. The bales would be inedible; any animal that consumed them would sicken. The best hay had to be stored in the barn out of the rain.

Too slow. The creaky old elevator's motor was having trouble moving the hay; indeed, it had already stopped once and had to be restarted after several minutes of Dad struggling with it. Mr. Peerzen, the farm's owner and Dad's boss, would be arriving soon with the last load of hay from the field for storage. Eyeing the bales, Zack wondered if there might be another way to get them into the loft. Fifty pounds, hunh? Fifty pounds wasn't so much for a Third Class Soldier. Placing another bale on the ramp, Zack paused to look at the barn before him. How high up was the second-floor loft anyway? Fifteen feet maybe? A Third Class Soldier should be able to throw a fifty-pound bale fifteen feet in the air. Maybe not all the way to the hay door about twenty feet up, but there was another opening into the loft… This could work…

Just then the putt-putt sound of Mr. Peerzen's tractor reached Zack's ears. Their last load had arrived. Just in time—if Zack's plan worked. The rain would be starting any minute.

"Hey, Mr. Peerzen, hold up!"

With Dad and fourteen-year-old Garth looking out the second-floor hay door at him curiously—after all the bales had stopped coming up the ramp—Zack had the owner back his load of hay to the barn's first floor, main entrance. Directly above the main entrance was a six-foot-by-six-foot hole in the ceiling that accessed the hay loft. Sending Mr. Peerzen's eighteen-year-old son Bill to take Zack's own spot at the elevator and sending the owner and Wes to the loft to stack, Zack smiled. Oh yeah! Now he had a race for real on his hands! It was him against the elevator against the rain! Let's go!

Zack hefted a bale with his hay hooks and standing just outside the main entrance eyed the hole and the curious men above him. He'd have to throw it at a bit of an angle to be sure the bale landed on the floor of the loft. Mr. Peerzen certainly couldn't catch the thing. Too shallow an angle, however, and he'd hit the first-floor ceiling. Probably rip the bale apart, and the hay would fly. Zack smiled softly; well the hay was going to fly anyway.

All right. Zack threw the bale upward. Bits of the dried grass hit Zack in the eyes and landed on his tongue—bleh!—but the rectangular bale, after rising several feet above the loft floor, touched down at Mr. Peerzen's feet. Yes! This was going to work!

In rapid, grass-flying, dirty succession, Zack threw the fifty-pound bales up to the second floor—without pausing, without tiring. As he glanced at his load of hay, Zack realized that the dull-green, dried grass had taken on a brighter hue. He was burning mako! Zack wondered briefly if there were hay farms anywhere near Midgar. This could be a good way to train Soldiers. After all, the physical tasks were never hard for him. Maybe being a farmer was harder than being a Soldier! Hm. Maybe he'd better not tell his friends that…

Suddenly the last bale was in Zack's hands and a few drops of rain were hitting him in addition to the bits of grass escaping from the bale. Glancing at the elevator, Zack could see that Bill Peerzen still had half a dozen bales on his flat-bed. Excellent! Zack had won! He raised one hay hook in triumph, then jumped to the other hay wagon to help Bill empty it. With the rain beginning to come down in earnest, the men scrambled to put away the equipment, then they ran for the house. Mom was waiting with cold lemonade on the porch. Wiping sweating brows and pulling off work gloves, the workmen smiled at each other. Every man shook Zack's hand, but best of all was his father's clap on Zack's shoulder. Dad…

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(7:00 am, Mideel—Mideel Base Hospital; 9:00 pm, Wutai; 5:00 am, Midgar; 1:00 am, Gongaga)

Two red disks about two inches in diameter on the end of a string whizzed by Rufus Shinra's ear. "What the…?!"

A laugh answered Rufus' almost question. "Ha! Gotcha!" Kamui, Verdot's daughter, frowned at Rufus Shinra's chagrin. "Wha-at? You've never seen a Mideelean monkey-killer before? Or are you one of those people who call this a 'yo-yo'?"

"A 'yo-what'?"

The silver-haired teenager sighed at the obtuseness of the world's richest man. "A yo…yo."

"Is that what that thing is? I've never seen one before. Can you really kill monkeys with them?!"

Rather than follow the Turks to bed as Tseng had ordered, Kamui had demanded food and directions to the hospital cafeteria. To his delight, and dismay, Kamui had grabbed Rufus by the hand and dragged him to the cafeteria as well. Upon seeing his daughter making off with Rufus Shinra, Verdot, himself with Vincent Valentine in tow, had followed discretely behind the couple and occupied a corner of the cafeteria—out of direct sight of the pair. Kamui had consumed massive quantities of breakfast foods while Rufus had eaten sugary Fruit Hoops and consumed at least four cups of coffee—surely the man wanted to sleep! Kamui was now standing on the table before Rufus performing yo-yo tricks for the room. Verdot recognized the tricks, and her accompanying prattle; it was Kamui's spring high school talent show routine.

The entire room had turned to watch the girl. She announced her tricks in dizzying succession—"Sleep," "Walk the Dog," "Walk the Cat," "Man on the Flying Trapeze," "Boomerang," "McBride Rollercoaster," and "Leviathan"–until she switched to a blue yo-yo and looped it around and around her hand. Switching again to a silver yo-yo with a skull at the opposite end of its string, she announced even more tricks: "360," "Brain-twister," "Brain-twister Release," and "Pinwheel."

Rufus, and most of the other cafeteria diners, applauded enthusiastically as Kamui took a bow then bounded to the floor from the table. "Bravo! Extremely well done! Bravo!"

"Thank you very much." The girl graciously nodded her head in acknowledgment. "But isn't it 'brava' for a girl?"

Rufus smirked and inclined his head; so she knew some ancient Midgaran. Good. "You're right. Sorry."

"Did you really like it, though? I only got second place in my school's talent show last spring with that routine!"

"I don't see how _that_ could have happened."

Kamui smiled. "Well, clearly _you_ weren't judging it."

Rufus paused then questioned haltingly. "Can you… teach _me…_ to do that?" He added a bit wistfully. "I was never allowed to do anything like _that…_"

"Sure. It's pretty easy." Kamui took out her original red monkey-killer and handed it to the president of Shinra. "Here. Stand up, you."

Rufus stood, a puzzled expression on his face. "I put my finger through here and…" The yo-yo fell to the floor and spun about the vertical axis of its string, not around the disks' horizontal axis as it should. "Hunh?! What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, silly. Here." Kamui stood close behind Rufus, placed her hand over his, and guided his arm in the correct motion. In her enthusiasm the girl pressed closer to Rufus Shinra. Rather than watching his hand, Rufus looked at the girl from the corner of his eye and took a tiny step back to make better contact with her.

"Pay attention!" Damn. Rufus jerked his eyes back to the yo-yo.

As Kamui showed Rufus how to keep track of whether his string was coming off the back or the front of his yo-yo axis, Verdot shook his head at Valentine. "I don't know about you, but I'm afraid I have to revise the odds on her going to Midgar to even. What do _you_ think?"

Both men had pushed back from their meals and were watching the couple. They were sure that Rufus and Kamui knew they were there, on discrete guard. Valentine had his arms folded on his chest and his long legs stretched out before him with his ankles crossed.

"… Down from ten to one against? Hm… Are you suggesting young Shinra is making progress with 'our' daughter?"

"Possibly. Kamui seems to be warming to him. Certainly the odds are improving…"

"…What's the attraction for Rufus though?" Vincent narrowed his eyes at the thought.

"Well, physical attraction certainly, but then too, for the first time he's met a girl who _isn't_ interested in him, who _doesn't_ want him for his money and power, who, I think, _didn't_ _even like_ him initially… Humph. He may not be able to resist… We tend to forget that Rufus is what, maybe twenty? He wasn't even born when you disappeared. Since he took over Shinra, he's had everything he wanted: fast cars, lots of cash, and starlets. He's certainly never met a girl like Kamui. They're even roughly the same age. Though for his own good, he'd better not ever let her _drive_…" Verdot actually shivered. Vincent was sure he didn't want to know what that was about.

Vincent turned to his friend. "…Speaking of age… Are _we_ getting old? We're sitting here handicapping a young couple's love life possibilities."

Verdot laughed aloud. "Madame Elizabeth used to say it best, 'Curmudgeonism is the traditional pleasure of Turk gentlemen.' My friend, have you forgotten? We used to talk the same way about the women around _us._ Remember?"

"… Humph. You did. _I_ didn't indulge in that odds-making business."

"Ha! Your memory_ is_ slipping… _Come to think of it_, you still owe me two hundred gil from my having married Madame Elizabeth! As I recall, _you_ said it would _never_ _happen_."

"…" Vincent tapped his claws against his upper right arm in rhythmic irritation.

"Um hm, that's what I thought… Oh look, now what's happening?"

Rufus had handed the girl her yo-yo then had picked up a chocolate-mint Tessa bar from a plate near his coffee. "Here. Here's something I'll bet _you're_ not familiar with." He handed Kamui the green cellophane-wrapped bar.

Kamui wrinkled her nose. "I don't know. I'm not much into energy bars."

Rufus shook his head. "_Would_ you just try it? Or do I need to _dare_ you to eat it?"

Kamui's eyebrows rose in surprise then crashed down. _How dare he dare her!_ She grabbed the Tessa bar from Rufus, ripped the end of the wrapper with her teeth, then took a bite with an angry frown on her face. As she chewed, her expression changed to one of wonder, and she swallowed with effort. "Oh my goddess! _That's great!"_ Suddenly Kamui's normally taut muscles relaxed, and she felt herself stand taller, straighter. "Oh, wow! _What is this thing anyway?"_ She turned the bar in her hand, brought the bit of wrapper to her remaining eye to examine the ingredients list, then ripped two more bites with her teeth from it in short order.

Rufus smiled. "It's a nutritional supplement bar that we've recently been producing—eight flavors and counting—but the original recipes came from your sister-in-law… Terrific, isn't it?"

Kamui stopped chewing, stunned. "You mean the _General's wife_ made this?"

"Yes." Rufus picked up another of the cellophane-wrapped bars from the table, held it before Kamui, and ran his finger below the name on the wrapper with a bit of a smirk. "_Tessa _bars. See? Though Dr. Romera didn't want her name associated with them, the marketing department pushed it through—I only approved it. Good idea, hn?"

Kamui resumed chewing thoughtfully, then more vigorously. "Hunh." Well, whatever they were, they were certainly good, and boy she'd never felt this relaxed! Had to have drugs in them…

Suddenly Wickles, the Turk medic, ran into the room. "President Shinra! Ms. Verdot! Please come with me! Dr. Romera wants to talk to you!"

cccc—citrus—cccccc

Tseng made a decision. All right. Let her do it. Enjoy it… If only for a little while…

"Let's shower. I've _got_ to get cleaned up." Tseng pulled the girl close to him, buried his face in Elena's hair and neck, and breathed her clean scent deep into his lungs. Goddess, she smelled so good! Her hands had moved from his hair to the base of the back of his neck—searching for the zipper, he supposed. Tseng was bone tired, but he could feel himself stirring in a rush, and he knew he wanted to be inside her… _if only_ he could trust her… After all she'd been throwing herself pretty hard at him. He had to know if there was a reason for that beyond the one she'd given him, "love." Could he truly trust her? He'd trained too many Turks and Wutainese in seduction not to be suspicious of "love"… Been disappointed too many times by "love"…

Elena's hands found the tab of Tseng's suit's zipper and tugged frantically at the mechanism. In response Tseng's tongue circled her ear, wet the outside, then he blew air across the wet surface before plunging his tongue inside and breathing heavily. Elena's hands gave up their zipper pulling, her back arched in his arms, and her leg wrapped around his thigh.

Tseng pulled back slightly to gauge the girl's reaction. Good. "Like that, don't you, little one?"

Elena rubbed herself in one long, slow, sensuous motion against his thigh that sent a shudder through Tseng, then tilted her head sideways so that her hair fell away from her ear. "Again."

Tseng smiled. "Demanding little thing, aren't you?"

"You have no idea…"

"You'll have to be on _my_ schedule. You understand that, don't you?"

"Absolutely. Whenever I can have you, I want you. When I get you, though, I'll want _all_ your attention."

Tseng returned his tongue to the girl's ear, and she writhed. "Hm. We'll have to see about that." He breathed into her ear. "Will you do as _I_ say, Elena? Always? In _every way?"_

Elena pulled her head away from his mouth to look in his eyes; she'd rather expected something like this. She took a deep breath. "Jayna told me she'd given you and the Turks her complete loyalty and that I'd have to do the same. That if you told me to sleep with someone, or kill someone, or just do paperwork, or clean toilets, or eat bugs I'd have to do it. Joining the Turks is a complete, _absolute_ commitment. Being your lover will be all that and more. I may not have much existence outside of your needs, but I won't be living on the street, nor servicing men in the way she did before Richard came along. You may need to discard me at some point, but even that I would have to live with. My body and loyalty are yours."

Ah. Part of his answer. She also wanted security. Fine. "Yes. That's all true, and there will be _no_ walking away from me, Elena. Good or bad—once you're mine, it's a lifetime commitment… But be very careful of the word 'love,' Elena. I value 'trust' above 'love.' Trust is earned. Love can be hot or cold, turn to hate. You'll have to show me that I can _trust_ you." Enough negotiation and explanations. "For now, though, your body will do. I want to look at you."

In two quick moves Tseng had Elena's scrubs off. Tseng pulled back to look at her and smiled slightly at the sight. With no suitcase-fresh clothes, she wore no interfering underwear. "Raise your arms above your head and turn around."

Rather than do as he said, however, Elena grasped the sides of Tseng's head. "Just answer me two questions... Please." Tseng raised an eyebrow above his chakra at her disobedience, then nodded slightly in agreement. "Have you been in love—ever? And do you love me?"

Tseng frowned. "Yes… Now do as I say."

He loved her. That was enough for Elena. She nodded and smiled slightly then raised her arms.

Hm. Tseng's frown continued. Elena hadn't quite caught the totality of his answer. What did that tell him about her? That she'd heard what she wanted to hear, probably. Well, she'd almost certainly realize what he'd said later. For now though, Tseng raked his eyes over Elena's naked body as she slowly, sensuously, lifted her hands above her head, and shifted foot to foot, leg to leg in her turn. Goddess, she was beautiful: small and _perfectly proportioned,_ in just the ways that he preferred. No wonder he'd been attracted to her! Would she be tight? He rather hoped so. Even though she was only sixteen, Tseng knew that Elena was no virgin—virgins need not apply to the Turks—virginity made applicants emotionally vulnerable. Besides, Tseng knew Elena had had to take a few of her sister's customers on occasion, though Jayna had protected her little sister from _too_ many of the men's attentions. Tseng didn't want an inexperienced lover, however, but he did want her _trainable._

"Good. You can put your arms down." Tseng pulled Elena close with one hand and trailed a finger of his other hand down her stomach and into her pubic curls while his tongue slid down her neck and traced her collar bone.

"Get me out of this thing. Now." He commanded.

"Yes, sir."

Tseng could hear the smile in Elena's voice; her hands returned to his back, and the zipper moved then stopped. Elena took a step back from Tseng—though he kept a finger exploring her slit with a gentle rhythm that had her swaying—then pulled the night ops suit around from his back, over his shoulders, down his torso and hips to his knees. Tseng's fingers relinquished her body for just the instant she needed to get the suit over his hands, then he was back with just a touch to her clitoris, and she jerked in response. Elena slid the fingertips of both her hands into the sides of his underwear, pushed them down, then adjusted to free him of the fabric, and brushed the side of a hand against his tip. Elena turned her head to look up at him.

"I've got to get you out of your boots, don't I? At this rate, we'll never make it to the shower."

"Hm. If you do one, I'll do the other."

Elena laughed softly, nodded, then began to bend to the boot knots. When Tseng bent at the knees but didn't release her mound, Elena looked at him startled again, then smiled and bent gracefully at the knees with a motion designed to keep Tseng's hand on her, and followed Tseng down. Finally squatting near the floor Tseng untied one boot one-handed while Elena did the other. He stepped from the footwear and again she helped him with his clothes and socks. Free…

Rising, Tseng pulled Elena's body against him. Good. Skin to skin. At last. Bending his head to hers, Tseng took possession of Elena's mouth and stabbed his tongue deep inside, explored thoroughly. How would she respond? Ah. In kind. Then she again wove her fingers to the webbings in his hair.

Continuing to explore her mouth, Tseng lifted Elena under her butt cheeks, and she wrapped her legs about him and hitched her ankles tight. Tseng smiled and carried her to the small bathroom with its tiny shower. He had perhaps twenty minutes to continue her training and find more of his answers...


	41. Pursuit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I depend on my daughter, Neku the Last Reaper (the author formerly known as Angeal Valentine—yes, she changed her name again!), and on Bjanik for all my information on the subject.**

**A/N—Oh no! I've been making a game-related conceptual error that no one has taken me to task over! When I wrote the initial bits about the **_**Highwind, **_**I had assumed that it was similar to a V-22 Osprey, the tilt-rotor aircraft utilized by the U.S. Marines and the Air Force. Was I ever wrong! I recently pulled pictures of the **_**Highwind **_**off the internet and found that, not only did it have a number of rooms inside, but it also didn't "land." In some ways the **_**Highwind**_** is more similar to a passenger-bearing dirigible from the 1930s (remember the Zeppelin from **_**Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade**_**?) than to a modern airplane: the **_**Highwind**_** can hold 34 passengers, has a crew of four, and ties up to dock while still hovering in mid-air (you get into it by climbing ropes and ladders thrown from a "main deck" located under the main "fuselage"). It even has a stable for one chocobo (complete with "hay, water, and various chocobo feed for the avid breeder"). Hardly what one would expect in an experimental, high-speed aircraft, but Cid may have had to start with what he could get, I suppose. Anyway... This chapter takes place almost completely on the **_**Highwind**_**. Sephiroth is about to catch up with Vester Hollander…**

(7:30 am, Mideel—Mid-air, north of Mideel Base, approaching the north coast of Mideel Island; 9:30 pm, Wutai; 5:30 am, Midgar; 1:30 am, Gongaga)

What was that?! Something penetrated Dan Hutchins' ears even though the intercom headset he wore blocked most of the sounds around him. Hutchins pulled the headset off to listen more closely. It wasn't the thump of the helicopter rotors, nor Vester Hollander's continuing tirade he had heard. Whatever the noise was, it was coming from behind them. Dan Hutchins, the former head of Shinra Security in Mideel, turned his bulk slowly to look out the rear windows of the helicopter.

No! A large airship was gaining on them!

A man leaned out an open doorway in the ship's side near its nose, grasped the ship's wall, and glared at the helicopter as if he were personally going to attack it! The man wore a long black coat, badly cut up, that swept about him. Long silver hair whipped about the man's face and shoulders. There was only one man on Gaia that looked like that! The General! _Sephiroth had found them!_

Hutchins' jowls shook in anger. He pulled on his headset and roared an order. "Faster! We're being pursued! Move it!"

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Standing in the open portside doorway near the nose of the fastest airship on the planet, Sephiroth glared at the helicopter attempting to escape from him. His ragged coat swept about him while his hair whipped around his face and arms and strands caught in his shoulder guards. Sephiroth held tight to one wall of the doorway. The Masamune lay on a shelf sticking out of the wall on the opposite side of the door. Malik's head was outside the doorway also, but he was bent over in an attempt to not block Sephiroth's view. There was a glass window at the front of the airship, but the Soldiers wanted unimpeded views of their quarry.

Sephiroth ground his teeth at the thought of Hollander, _his quarry_. Bastard. Freaking, soul-sucking, spineless coward! Hollander, you were always so jealous of that damned Hojo, it was _pathetic_, contemptible. I never understood it. _How could anyone have ever been jealous of Hojo?!_ Idiot. There was a time Genesis, Angeal, and I were friends. It was _you_ that turned them against me! You made _Genesis_ as jealous of me as _you_ were of Hojo. I won't let you take anything else from me—not my family, not my friends, not my people.

Damn—and how much had it hurt Zack to fight Angeal again? Sephiroth's grip on the door frame tightened at the thought. Zack hadn't replied when Sephiroth had asked about the Hewley clone back at Banora. The answer to Sephiroth's question had come from Niven, not Zack: Strife, not Zack, had killed the clone, "dead and gone." For a moment Sephiroth's mind returned to his last drink with Zack in Zack's apartment—was it really only three days ago?!—Zack had actually said Angeal's name! Zack had finally seemed to be over Angeal's death, but in Banora Zack had been confronted with the man again.

Hollander, you _conniving_ _bastard!_ When I catch up with you, I won't just put you in a bag, I will rip your heart out and feed it to you, then I'll cut off your head and stick it on a pole… Sephiroth smiled slightly as the wind rushed by his face, ripped at his hair and coat. Yes. He knew exactly which of his deadly techniques he'd use on the jealous scientist; the same one he had used on Hojo and on Old Man Shinra—sliced in twain from nock to tip. Hm. Somehow it was appropriate that Hollander die in the same manner as Hojo… For an instant, Sephiroth pictured _himself_ flying from the _Highwind_ to the helicopter then cutting the chopper from the sky with Masamune and slicing Hollander in turn as well. His slight smile turned to a true smirk, but, while the idea definitely had merit—it would truly be satisfying—he had no data on how fast he could actually fly. It wouldn't do to be left behind by the airship and helicopter at a time like this. Better to experiment at a less critical time… The helicopter bearing Hollander and his rescuers was just minutes ahead of the Shinra airship. _Not long now…_

Suddenly the airship pitched and bucked. Sephiroth remained standing—he had a strong grip on the edge of the open door—but Malik was thrown against the doorway's front wall, and the pilot's assistant tumbled across the deck from the navigator's station.

Stumbling across the bucking floor, Malik grabbed the pilot by his shoulders from behind. "What's wrong?!"

Cid Highwind had a death grip on his pilot's wheel. "Fuckin' starboard stabilizer's come loose again! Sher-ra!!"

"I KNOW!" Highwind's female assistant rose to her feet while grasping the deck's rear railing. After pulling herself along the rail to the stairs to the lower level, the woman left the control room.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the assistant's insubordination, but she was Highwind's problem, not his—potentially Tessa's problem, however, in the overall scheme of things. Sephiroth instead turned his attention back to the helicopter ahead of him then shouted orders to the pilot.

"Highwind! Get above that damn helicopter and _force_ it to land!"

ccccccccccc

Malik, who had made his way over the bucking deck to return to Sephiroth's side, felt his PHS rumble. At the sight of Niven's name, Malik swung it open, stuck a finger in his opposite ear to cancel out the screaming wind from the open doorway, and tried to listen.

"Malik here…" Malik found himself shouting over the wind. "Alex…?! Alex, say again! I can barely hear you!" At the mention of Niven's first name, Sephiroth's head swung sharply away from the helicopter to lock onto his subordinate. Malik shook his head slightly and shrugged, then motioned to the control room's aft door as if asking a question. Sephiroth nodded then returned his attention, and his glare, to the chopper. "Alex, _hang on!_"

Rather than take the stairs to the lower command deck, Malik set one hand on the rear railing, leapt over it, landed on the lower deck, then made his way through the aft door. Entering the ship's dark, multi-leveled engine room, he closed the door behind him, then leaned against a wall and hoped for some stability in addition to the relative quiet.

"Okay, Alex, tell me again… What?!... No-o!" Malik felt his heart sink. Not Zack! Blast! "It's up to _me_ to tell Seph, isn't it?" Malik sighed. "Okay. Tell me what happened."

Unfortunately, Malik could now hear Niven clearly. "Yes, you'll have to tell him." Niven's voice paused before recounting his story. "During Fair's fight with Hewley, the clone used a Bio2 spell on Fair. I was late getting to him with an Antidote, but when I did, he seemed fine. It was only later—after your group left—that Fair started weaving, and he passed out. We got him to the hospital, but I've just been with the doctors, Malik. _Fair has decomposition sparks in his _eyes,_ and his organs are shutting down!"_

"What?!" The ship gave a stronger lurch than usual. Malik flung out a hand to grab a pipe automatically. "Alex, what's that mean?! Decomposition sparks?! And organ failure?!"

"During his fight with Hewley, Hewley poisoned Fair. One of the Banora clones identified the poison as a 'disposal solution'—something Hollander developed to rid his lab of unwanted specimens. This 'disposal solution' is eating Fair, as she put it, 'from the inside out.'"

"That's despicable! But what's being done for him?" Seph would want to know.

"Before we got to the hospital, I gave him _four_ Antidotes, and he's received six Cure3s from a Turk medic. The hospital personnel are continuing to apply these treatments alternately every ten minutes; however, while each treatment helps decrease the degeneration temporarily, _nothing we've tried_ has reversed it. Dr. Romera has sent samples of the disposal solution out for analysis, and she clearly has an idea she's working on, but…" Malik could feel Alex's reluctance. Worse, he could guess what was coming. "Everyone here agrees, Malik… Zachary Fair is dying. You had better let the General know ASAP… Perhaps… get him back here…"

_Damn_, this was bad. Everyone in Soldier knew Seph and Zack were close. All of First Class had been thankful when, several years prior, Zack had begun to work on their commander, to humanize him, to the point Seph had even recently married. Nuts. Seph had to be told. Malik sighed. Would Seph turn the ship around? Or keep chasing Hollander? Malik wasn't sure. Indeed, he wasn't sure about anything. Only that it was Seph's call. "Yeah… Any idea how long…? We're chasing a helicopter with Hollander on board."

"Ah… Malik, every treatment Fair receives helps for a short while, then the sparks come back like before, and he is _simply getting worse._ Just a few minutes ago, the head of _your_ base hospital gave him two hours to live, three at the very outside…"

"No... Damn it!" Malik sighed again. If Laral Singleton had said it, then he knew it was true. "I'll tell Seph and … let you know… I guess you trust this female clone to know what she's talking about?"

"Hm. I sure she does. She worked in Hollander's lab, helped the captive Turks escape, _and _helped rescue Dr. Romera. The Turks think highly of her… Yes, _I_ trust her too."

"… And Dr. Romera's working on him too, right?"

"Yes. She has a plan, but I don't know what it is. If anything, she's more worried than the doctors about Fair. I'm taking her to a meeting right now with the General's father and Verdot's daughter in connection with her plan."

"Right. At least that'll be good for Seph to hear—as long as Dr. Romera's staying in her wheelchair."

Malik could hear a slight smile in Niven's voice. "You can assure the General that _I_ am now his wife's wheelchair pusher. She's currently in the bathroom. I understand pregnant women need to go there fairly frequently."

"Hmph. Right." Malik paused. "Okay then, I'll deal with this end… Alex, as long as I have you on the horn, there's something I need you to do for me. I'd like you to check on my substitute second. I'd given command authority to her, but Lyllea Rosen is a civilian, and when I left the base the situation was still somewhat chaotic. If, after you've talked to her, you feel you need to take formal control, I'll text you the encrypted command codes. I'd appreciate it if you'd check on her. I'd planned on talking to Zack, but…"

"Right. I'll see to it… I'm sorry to lay this on you, Malik, but my calls to the General's PHS haven't gone through… I wouldn't want to be in your position for the next few minutes."

"Yeah… That makes two of us, Alex… Okay. I'll talk to Seph."

"Right. Niven out."

"Malik out." Malik sighed, snapped his PHS closed, and dropped his head back against the engine room's wall with a thump. Damn. He already knew how he was going to tell Seph: straight out—the way he'd want to hear it. It didn't help knowing how to do it, though, when the message hurt so damn much, and it would be especially hard on his commander, a man he admired. While death was understood by every Soldier worth his salt, this was no way for anyone to die, "eaten from the inside out…"

Cccccccccc

Shera lay on her stomach in a crawlspace at the rear of the ship's main fuselage and surveyed the scene before her with chagrin. While the equipment looked innocuous, it was possibly the most critical system on the ship: this was the main connection site of the _Highwind_. In this crawlspace the ascending tilt-rotor engines connected to the forward propulsion engines. It all came together here in a custom design of Cid's: four stabilizers—really just equilateral triangles about six inches on a side sticking out of metal poles, two vertical and two horizontal, that connected the operations of all those engines and kept mechanical control of the ship by complicated, heavily lubricated, metal gearing. Yeah, Cid was a genius, all right. _A piece-of-crap, jerry-rigging genius!_

Shera sighed. She tapped on the starboard vertical stabilizer vane before her lightly with a wrench and shook her head in dismay. Damn. The shaking stabilizer was shot; worse, the nuts holding it in place were stripped. She'd fixed the damned thing so many times, it was _unfixable_ now. The stabilizer was shaking violently, and its trembling was bouncing—destabilizing—the entire ship. Nuts. The entire unit would have to be replaced! Not a hard or long job while docked—with a new part, of course—but one that was not possible to perform while underway in mid-air!

Shera pulled her gloved hand, and the wrench it held, back to threaten the inanimate object, but then thought better of it. Why did the blasted thing have to give out _now?!_ Just when she and Cid had a real opportunity to build quality ships, were showing their new boss's husband what they were capable of—what Cid's genius was capable of!—the piece of shit failed. Crap! Oops. Shera's face reddened. She'd been spending too much time with Cid; she was beginning to think like him, was even acquiring his vocabulary! Oh well…

There was only one thing to do. Setting her wrench aside and wriggling forward on her elbows, Shera grabbed the flapping piece of metal between her forearms. Gloves or no, _this was going to hurt!_ Hopefully, the General wouldn't want too many acrobatic moves out of this bucket of bolts…

Cccccccccccc

With a shudder, the airship settled from its pitching and bucking, to a barely felt tremble, then started to rise.

"Woo, hoo! Way to go, Shera!"

Cid nudged the slide of his accelerator controls on a panel on the left of his captain's wheel to give them the speed they'd need to overtake and get above the nearby helicopter. Next he pulled back on his stick to the right of the wheel to gain altitude and finally turned his wheel a few degrees to port. Checking his trim, he was satisfied. There. _That_ should put them above the laboring, zigging chopper.

Tearing his glare from the helicopter, Sephiroth glanced at the crazy pilot, moved away from the open door, and walked to the front of the airship to look through its huge window. He wanted the chopper to land, but rather than being forced down by the ship's moving over it, the more nimble helicopter skirted starboard and took a new heading more due east. Damn. It seemed that Hollander wanted to play this game for a while longer. So be it.

"Highwind, he's moved starboard. Drop us and bring us alongside!"

"Right." Cid turned his wheel to the right, backed off on his altitude, and let the ship settle.

With the airship now alongside the helicopter, just a few hundred feet away, Sephiroth moved to the right-hand side of the ship and jerked its starboard-side door open. The airship bucked violently. With a shriek, the pilot ran to the port side to close the sliding door where the General had initially stood.

As the outside door closed with a clang, the door to the aft hallway whooshed open. Flinging out a hand to keep his balance, Malik returned. With the equilibrium of the ship largely restored, the floor's bucking returned to a tremble. The pilot scrambled back to his post while Malik jumped the stairs to the upper command deck. With slow steps, Malik made his way toward his commanding officer. Damn.

"General." The word got Seph's attention, as Malik had known it would—formality in the midst of near-chaos. Seph's head turned with a jerk, and he raised an eyebrow at his Mideel commander. Malik lowered his eyes for fear they might be greening up.

"There's bad news. Zack Fair is dying."

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With a roar, the helicopter had put on speed, but other than out-maneuvering the large airship, the chopper had made little progress in its getaway. Vester Hollander had turned in his seat next to the pilot and was spitting near-incoherent epitaphs at their pursuers.

Dan Hutchins sighed. There was only one good thing about Hollander's tirade: his screams were breaking up over the intercom and couldn't be heard.

"Atkins," Hollander called to the pilot over the intercom. "Are we anywhere near the boat yet?"

"Sorry, chief. Even at this speed, it'll be another ten minutes."

Rats, _and_ they were leading Shinra right to their getaway craft! Briefly Hutchins considered. What would the General do if he pushed Hollander out the door? Which would the General want more? Vester or the chopper? Confound it all! Hutchins could feel his retirement fund slipping from between his fingers. At this point he'd be lucky to escape with his life. Oh well, he needed to lose a few pounds anyway. No money equaled no food…

Suddenly Vester Hollander turned with his knees on his seat, grabbed a gun from one of the guards, opened the chopper's door, and began firing wildly at the airship.

"Vester! Stop!"

The chopper rocked wildly for a few heart-pounding seconds until the pilot brought it under control.

Oh well, Hutchins thought, what was that old saying again? "If you're falling, you might as well try to fly" or something like that? He just hoped he wouldn't have to _literally _attempt to fly.

"Give me that." Hutchins took the other guard's machine gun and began firing it in three shot volleys at the airship.

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At Malik's news, Sephiroth had turned away from his subordinate and looked out the ship's open doorway once again, but this time Malik could see that Seph's eyes weren't focused on the helicopter. Malik hadn't believed it possible for the General to pale, but Sephiroth's skin seemed whiter than before. Worse, Seph's jaw was clenched, and his eyes were greening.

"What happened?"

Malik looked to the floor and saw that it had taken on a greenish cast—his own eyes were changing as well. "It seems that when Zack fought the Hewley clone, it injected him with some solution Hollander invented to get rid of bodies in his lab. It wasn't until after we left that the solution affected him though, else we could have brought him to the hospital with us."

"Where are they?"

"Alex said they're at the base hospital, and Dr. Romera's working on him."

Sephiroth shook his head slightly. Tessa would do anything to help Zack—he was in the best possible hands!—but in her condition that might not be such a good thing. Sephiroth caught himself grinding his teeth and clenching his fists again.

"Seph… Alex did say… " Sephiroth turned back to Malik. "He said that… Zack has maybe two hours… left... His organs are shutting down…" Still looking at the floor, Malik could tell by the movement of the edge of the General's coat that Sephiroth was again looking out the open door. Raising his head, Malik found that Sephiroth's greened-up eyes were again glaring at the helicopter. Malik stepped back to leave the General alone. From the look on Seph's face, he was glad _he_ wasn't on that chopper…

Sephiroth's chin rose. _Just three days ago_ he'd held Zack in his arms, made love to him; now, if he didn't hurry, he might never see Zack again. Pain wrenched Sephiroth's chest—pain again reminded him that he indeed had a heart! A vulnerability—Zachary Fair. Sephiroth shook his head, and his whipping hair rippled in the wind.

Images of Zack raced across Sephiroth's mind: the miserable way Zack had looked when he had tried to transfer to the Northern Crater; the startled way Zack had gripped him when Sephiroth had awakened from his nightmare of his child turning into Jenova; Zack hovering over him as Sephiroth had lain sick on the airship to Mideel; the ecstasy on Zack's face the first time they'd made love; the concern in Zack's eyes when Sephiroth had emerged from the operating room when he'd nearly lost Tessa and the baby; Zack fighting beside him on a platform above the Nibelheim reactor pool; Zack carving a bullet out of his leg by the swamp outside Reactor 20; Zack falling asleep on his desk while writing reports after Reactor 20. Suddenly the roars about Sephiroth were gone, and there was only Zack's voice:

"You got laid last night," he said.

Sephiroth turned his head to Zack, mouth agape.

"That's it, isn't it? You got laid. Well glory to the Planet, about fucking time! It was Tess, right? I knew it; you went down there and never came back."

"Zack! Y- " Sephiroth stammered in a loss for words. "Out!"

"Was she noisy? How many times did you do it? Are you going to see her again tonight?"

Zack almost missed the bright spark arcing between Sephiroth's fingers. He darted out the door, leaped over Sylvia's desk, then jogged sideways just in time to avoid the thing as it hit the wall, left a sizable scorch mark and caused the fluorescent light above it to wink out.

"Missed me!"

**Sephiroth reminded himself no pleasure went unpunished in this world.**

Indeed…

Energy tingled about Sephiroth's trembling left hand—the bright spark arcing again—almost of its own volition.

_Damn you to perdition_, _Vester Hollander!_ Mother, if there is a hell in the Lifestream, please keep Hollander there with Hojo. Forever. I wanted to kill Hollander with my own hands, but now _there isn't time_…

A door opened in the side of the chopper, and bullets began to fly through from first one, then two, machine guns. As Sephiroth watched, the bullets streamed away from the chopper then arced downward gracefully to the ground without approaching the airship. A smirk twitched the edges of Sephiroth's lips. Was that your last throw, Vester Hollander? No _materia?_ No _spells?_ No _Soldier sons_ to save your sorry ass?! Hmph. You're dead, and you don't even know it…

Sparks built around Sephiroth's hand, played up from the floor about his legs, curtained from the edges of the doorway about his shoulders and left arm. As the charge increased, the metal frame of the ship began to moan, then shriek, as waves of electricity ran from the engines and across the deck and ceiling. Enough. Sephiroth raised his hand and released the lightning at the helicopter.

Light glinted and danced off individual bullets before swirling into a cage about the chopper then coalescing around the rotors. Sparks sped from the helicopter's rotor blades, down its axle, and into the cabin. Within seconds, smoke curled outward from the base of the axle. Suddenly someone appeared in the chopper's doorway, desperate to survive.

Sephiroth recognized the man. It was Vester Hollander, complete with his normal tee-shirt and its ad for canned Banora apples—funny how Hollander always seemed to wear that shirt. The shirt awakened a memory in Sephiroth's mind. Hollander had been wearing it on the day that Genesis had been injured in their three-way fight on the simulated Junon cannon. That day Hollander had rejected Sephiroth's offer of his blood for a transfusion. Hollander had wanted only Angeal's blood that day—the _last_ day of the Soldier Triumvirate. Sephiroth squirmed at the memory. Why hadn't he known how very wrong things were on that day? Genesis had deserted Shinra, and Angeal had hunted him, never to return… Things had never been the same from _that_ _day…_

Hollander didn't jump as Sephiroth expected, at least not yet. For a few seconds longer, Vester Hollander stood in the chopper's doorway. With a last glare at the airship, Hollander tumbled toward the ground still firing his machine gun at the ship only to be caught by the explosion from above. The remaining pieces of the helicopter plummeted toward the ground in fiery chunks. Finally. A few odd body parts tumbled from the chopper amidst the flaming metal and glass. After feeling the wind from the explosion brush his face and rock the airship, with a final sneer, Sephiroth turned from the door and walked toward the ship's front window.

Hm. Hollander had jumped—shooting as he went. Sephiroth wasn't surprised that Hollander had fought to the very end. Vester Hollander would never give up trying to destroy him because he was _Hojo's_ product. That thought brought Sephiroth up short. That was right. _Even if he were dead,_ Hollander would never give up, and that meant that Hollander had a contingency plan in place to destroy him. Somewhere, somehow, someday, Hollander's legacy would almost certainly return to attempt to destroy Sephiroth again. For today, however, Hollander was almost certainly dead…

Pausing at the pilot's station, the General growled an order. "Highwind. Circle the wreckage once. If there's nothing there, take us to Mideel Base at maximum velocity. Now."

Cid Highwind nodded his head. For once, Cid had nothing to say.

cccccccccccc

(7:30 am, Mideel—North coast of Mideel Island; 9:30 pm, Wutai; 5:30 am, Midgar; 1:30 am, Gongaga)

A young woman with strawberry blond hair stood outside a shed at the edge of the Mideel Strait. Clutched in her arms, tight to her chest, was a thin black laptop computer she had taken from the administration building in Apple Town. A worn sticker of a can of Banora apples could be seen peeking around the woman's arms from its home on the laptop.

Rather than look at the beautiful water to the north that glinted in the bright morning sunlight, the woman's gaze was locked on the southern horizon. Far to the south, a helicopter had exploded inside a sparkling net—lightning perhaps?—and had fallen from the sky. A strangely configured airship had circled once about the flaming helicopter debris then moved quickly back over the southern horizon.

_Well, that's that!_ Vanessa-1 turned to the boat awaiting her inside the covered dock and smiled. While Vanessa-0, a/k/a Lynette Hiland, had stolen Dr. Hollander's laptop from his office in New Banora when the battle between Shinra and the clones had looked to be turning against them, Vanessa-1 herself had planted the cameras in Vester Hollander's office that had let her acquire the laptop's initialization codes.

Anticipation glittered in Vanessa-1's eyes. To certain parties, the info on the computer was potentially priceless: Dr. Hollander's research results from his genetic experiments—two years worth of work since he'd ceased keeping his results on paper—the formulas for his various chemical concoctions, and the locations of his caches of genetic materials complete with access codes. There were even new spells he and Genesis Rhapsodos had been researching.

Since she had the start-up codes, only Vanessa-1 could now access the laptop's information; she knew that anyone who attempted to access the laptop without the codes would cause the machine to self-destruct. Dr. Hollander had proudly, arrogantly, emphasized his enhanced computer security to anyone who would listen; indeed, Vanessa-1 had heard him describe it often. She paused. It was true, however, that _most_ of Dr. Hollander's samples were now buried under rock in New Banora, thanks to Shinra, but Dr. Hollander had another lab in Midgar. The deal Vanessa-1 had made with Deepground would make her a very rich woman indeed. If Vester Hollander had gone down in that helicopter explosion—as Vanessa-1 suspected—the price of the laptop had just gone up dramatically. Vanessa-1 nodded. Yes. She was sure Dr. Hollander hadn't survived that explosion; if there had been anything remaining of him, the airship wouldn't have left. She planned to be far from Midgar before she sent Deepground the laptop's initialization codes. She smiled. Yes. "Costa del Sol" had such a _lovely _ring to it…

"Nero! Argento!" Vanessa-1 called. "Let's go. Dr. Hollander _isn't_ coming…"

**A/N—A great deal has happened since I last posted. Neku the Last Reaper turned 18 at the end of September. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, NEKU! For her seventeenth birthday, I wrote her a special Turk chapter for her birthday present, but I've recently posted several chapters featuring the Turks, so her dad and I gave her professional quality yo-yos instead. Just what she wanted!**

**Over the summer, my dad broke his hip, and my mom had to finally put him in a nursing home. His Alzheimer's has won, and she's not sure he recognizes her any longer. My mom, on the other hand, is doing well since her heart surgery in July 2008 and is talking about moving in with my sister's family. With five grandkids, a grandson-in-law, and two little great-grandkids around to spoil, I think she could enjoy living at my sister's.**

**My mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with cancer in September 2008, passed away on October 10. We miss her, but her pain is finally over. When she was diagnosed last year, she was told she had six months to live. Thirteen months later she proved the doctors wrong by seven months. I was aghast to realize how very similar her symptoms in her last days were to Zack Fair's—it seems I can now recognize organ failure.**

**My husband and I spent a week in my mother-in-law's home state after she passed away while we waited for the funeral. During that week, Neku stayed with Bjanik before joining us for the service. I wanted to thank Bjanik for many things—for letting Neku stay with her, for taking Neku to school (I'm sorry, I know you're not a morning person, so "thank you" double!), for picking Neku up from school (How far is it between your house and her school? 20 miles? How much do I owe you for gas?), for feeding her, for teaching her to drive (I just couldn't do it!), for teaching her physics, **_**for being our friend.**_** THANK YOU! Once again, I owe Bjanik **_**BIG TIME!**_** I asked Neku what we could do for Bjanik in return: "Post at least **_**five**_** chapters to start with, Mom. After that, we'll see." Yikes.**

**NaNoWriMo is once again upon us. Good luck to everyone, including Neku, who will attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days! May you banish your inner editors and produce your 1667 words per day quota. Once again, good luck!**


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